


Wishes

by SilverMidnight



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Violence, deaged!sam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-15
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-01-15 19:12:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 36,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1316125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverMidnight/pseuds/SilverMidnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Both Sam and Dean want to get back the friendship they used to have and have no idea how to do that. Someone else might have an orthodox idea though. Being rewritten!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I've decided to redo this story. It's one of my favorites and it just needed to be redone. I hope you guys like it as much as I do.
> 
> If you want to be kept up to date with redos on stories or want to know more about stories that will be started soon or even ask me to write a story for you please follow me on Facebook under SilverMidnight52! I own nothing!

Bending over the toilet Sam felt his body heave trying to get rid of everything in his stomach. The bad part was that he no longer had anything in his stomach after not being able to keep anything down for days. He really hated getting sick.

He could still remember being held up in a motel room or whatever apartment they happened to be staying in while Dean and Dad went out hunting or working. All he got to do was lie in bed and stare at a sometimes working TV or reread books that he had had for most of his life.

At least that's what it was like when he was able to stay alone by himself. Before that he either stayed with Bobby or he sat in the Impala while they hunted. Sitting in the back of a cold car waiting to see if his family was alive was not the best thing to do when sick.

They were usually there at night so the cold just added onto his sickness. It wasn't as if he could have the car running for the heater. Not only was it a waste of battery it was also not a good idea to have that much noise going on. It was all to easy to track the sound of an idling engine.

Not that it was all bad. He could remember Dad wrapping him up in all of his warmest clothes while Dean stripped all the beds. After that the three of them went to the car and built a bed in the backseat. He always ended up cuddled so tightly. It was one of the best feelings that he knew.

Sam had always loved being curled under blankets. Even in the middle of summer he'd sit in front of the air conditioner just so he could be under blankets. It wasn't often that he got to do that but it was a treat every time. One he knew both his Dad and Dean knew about and took into consideration when they moved to a new place.

They were never really able to do anything about that though. At least not often. It was normally something that only happened if it had been a particularly bad move. A little something to show him that Dean was thinking about him. It made him feel a little less like he was just a waste of space to the older man.

In the back of his mind he knew that he was being ridiculous. Dad loved him and Dean. He had just been pretty much destroyed after Mom died and it had taken a toll. As much as he loved them both he didn't really know what he was supposed to do anymore. He wanted them safe and that was his main though process. Not the best way to show love to two small children.

Still he liked to think that he and Dean turned out well. At least well enough for growing up as hunters. He used to think about what his life would've been like if he grew up as a normal kid. The thought was as appealing as it was terrifying. No matter how he spun it growing up 'normal' always ended with him losing part of himself.

As much as he hated his life he knew that he wouldn't be him if he grew up any other way. He would gladly walk away from that part of his brain process if it meant keeping the life he had now. It had taken him a long time to get to this point in his life and he was actually pretty proud of himself for that.

There was one thing that he couldn't stop dreaming of. He missed being the little brother more than anything. He wasn't exactly sure when it happened, but his relationship with Dean was nothing like it used to be and it broke his heart to know that not only was it his fault but that he was probably never going to get it back.

It hurt to know that he was never going to be Dean's little brother again. That's all he wanted now. To be the little brother that he used to be. A time when Dean tried his hardest to protect him even when he didn't need it. Hell, the older man was more like his parent than he was a brother.

Shutting his eyes Sam braced his hands on the toilet and tried to stand up. He got halfway up before a wave of dizziness hit him. Gasping he grabbed onto the sick to stop from falling over. He opened his mouth to call out for. Dean only to snap it sheet. He could do this alone. He had to.

Once he had his footing he looked into the mirror. He knew he looked bad, but he found himself wondering if he could fake being well enough for them to get back to work. Six days of them in a motel room doing nothing was enough to have Dean climbing the walls looking for something to do.

Shaking his head Sam splashed some water on his face knowing that there was no way he could hunt. Which meant Dean wasn't going to leave for a hunt. Which meant Dean wasn't going to leave. It felt horrible to have a shadow of a big brother around him so much. Especially since this was the exact situation he'd normally go all 'mother hen' on him.

Taking in a steady breath he turned to the door trying to act as if he wasn't as sick as he was. He wasn't exactly sure why he felt the need to fake being healthy but he did. There wasn't really a reason for him to not to. As of late there wasn't really a reason for him to do much at all.

"Finally done?" Dean questioned form the table not looking up from the laptop.

"Think so," Sam replied his voice little more than a growl from all the abuse.

"Good. You think you can eat?"

"No."

"Than I'll go to the diner by myself."

Before Sam could reply Dean shut the laptop and left the room. He stared at the closed door for a moment feeling even worse than he did before. It was sad to think that he'd give practically anything to hear the man call him Sammy. He missed that stupid nickname more than anything.

Licking his dry lips he climbed under the blankets. His body shook as he coughed. He felt awful and for the first time in his life he was completely alone. That was not a feeling that he had thought he'd ever get used to. Though it looked as if he would have to soon.

"I'm sorry, De," Sam whispered as he felt himself be dragged under, "I'm sorry for everything."


	2. Chapter 2

Hazel eyes blinked open a soft sound of displeasure leaving Sammy's lips. Waking up was never fun. He hated leaving the warmth. Being awake meant he had had leave the blankets and since he had to go to the potty then he really did have to get up before he had an accident.

Kicking off the blankets he let himself drop to the floor before rushing to the potty. Once he had washed his hands he went back into the main room and looked around for Dean and Daddy. The room was bright so that meant that it was time to start the day. At least that's what Daddy had always told him.

He always told Sammy that he got up with the sun so the day was as bright as the sun itself. It always made him feel nice knowing that Daddy said he was like the sun. The sun was one of the best things that he could think of. You couldn't be around the sun and not be happy.

Dean was different. He got to stay up later than him, but that was because he was older. He got to do a lot of stuff that Sammy didn't and they looked like so much fun. Sammy couldn't wait until he was big enough to play with Dean and Daddy without them tell him he was too small.

He wasn't too small. He could help them! They always sent him away though. It made him sad when he couldn't play with them. That was when Dean would take a break from playing with Daddy and play with him. It was so much fun when his brother played with him. Especially when he could get Daddy to play with them too.

That didn't happen that often since Daddy worked so much. Sammy had no idea what Daddy did, but he always seemed to be working. And he hated whenever he or Dean tried to get him to play with them. He ended up telling them to leave him in peace until he was done with the job.

Sammy hated whenever that happened. That was when Dean spent the whole day with him. Those were some of this favorite days. Mostly because once Daddy was done with the job they'd go get food and he and Dean would get a sundae after dinner. He loved sundae's. Except for the cherries. Dean got those.

His stomach growled loudly causing him to stop. He was starving! All he wanted to do was find either Dean or Daddy and go get food. Maybe he could get some pancakes and apples. That sounded so yummy. He just had to find his family, but neither of them were in the room.

Spinning around a few times he felt himself get dizzy and fall onto his booty. Tears started to fall down his face as he stared up at the roof. It looked wrong though. It was all smooth and a brown color. That wasn't the roof that he was staring at when he fell asleep last night.

Dean had told him that it was called popcorn and that if he was really good they would get some. That had been three days ago. He knew that because his birthday had been seven days away when they stopped driving. Dead was teaching him how to count so every morning he'd ask him how many days until he turned four.

Sniffling Sammy stood up and looked around the motel room again. He had been in a lot of motels so he couldn't be sure, but he didn't think he was in the right room. Daddy and Dean wouldn't just change rooms without telling him. At least, he didn't think they would do something like that.

Whining softly he gripped his head tightly. It hurt so much and all he wanted was his big brother. He always knew exactly what to say or do to make him feel better. He could actually do that even when Daddy couldn't. He needed his big brother. Where was Dean?

Sammy fell back onto the floor sobbing loudly. He wanted Dean and for the first time he couldn't find him. Dean was always around when Daddy wasn't. The only other time he wasn't around them was when he was with Uncle Bobby or Pastor Jim.

Daddy had made it one of the biggest rules of Sammy to never be left alone. No one broke that rule. Even Uncle Bobby and Pastor Jim never felt safe. Though not as safe as when he was with Daddy and Dean.

What was he going to do? He needed his family! Curling into a small ball he left himself completely fall apart. By now if anyone was around they would have come to check on him. They really had left him all alone. Daddy and Dean didn't love him anymore.

What did he do to make them leave? If he could figure that out than maybe he could get them to come back. He would have to find them first. That didn't matter if he couldn't figure out what he had done to make them hate him and leave them alone in a motel room.

He knew that sometimes he made Daddy upset, but Dean had told him that no matter how mad he got he always loved them. Daddy would never leave him. He loved Sammy and he was going to tell himself that over and over because it was the truth. It had to be.

Suddenly the young boy remember what happened yesterday. He had just been so bored! Daddy and Dean had been doing things all day and he wasn't allowed to help them. They kept telling him to go play by himself. Which was exactly what he had done. Well, he had sort of done that.

Daddy had gotten Dean a really cool Batman toy and Sammy had really wanted to play with it. He knew that he should wait until Dean said he could but he was so bust that day and they did say to play by himself. So he got the toy and went to the beds to play.

It was a lot of fun to bounce Batman from one bed to the other pretending that he was jumping from roof to roof. The toy was light enough that he could get some real distance when he bounced it. When it was in the air between the beds it really looked like he was fling!

Then he noticed that if he tossed it harder it bounced higher. It looked so cool! So he tossed it harder and harder until he lost control. He hadn't meant to do it! He had just made Batman jump a little too much and instead of landing on Daddy's bed it landed on the floor and broke.

He froze where he was as Dean and Daddy came over. Sammy had tried to tell his big brother that he was sorry, but he didn't get to before Dean had turned on him. He was really mad at Sammy. More mad than he had ever seen him and he started to yell at him and call him stupid.

Sammy had started to cry as Dean called him names. He really hadn't meant to break Batman. He had just wanted to play with it. It had been an accident. Dean was just too mad at him to let him say sorry and he really did want to tell his big brother he was sorry.

Daddy had picked up the toy and told Sammy to to sit on his bed until it was time for dinner. The young boy had opened his mouth to apologize, but one look had him doing exactly what his Daddy had told him while he and Dean went back to the kitchen once more leaving him alone.

Maybe that's why he couldn't find Dean and Daddy. They had told him over and over to be careful. That he had to take care of his stuff if he wanted to keep it. Batman hadn't been his, but that just meant that he had to be even more careful. Daddy had told him that when they went to Uncle Bobby's.

Now they had left him because he hadn't followed the rules. He had tried hard to do what they said and he did really. Well, most of the time. Accidents happened. At least that's what Pastor Jim had told him. Maybe they didn't believe that it was an accident.

Maybe it was because he didn't get to say sorry. He had tried to but they hadn't let him. They couldn't blame him for not saying sorry! Once he went to bed he had decided that he would say sorry during breakfast. Dean would have forgiven him. He had just been too late.

Dean and Daddy left him though which meant that they didn't love him anymore. It had just been a stupid mistake and it had lost him his family. Never should have played with Dean's toy. He should have just played with his toys until Dean decided to play with him.

"I'm sorry, De," Sammy gasped out between sobs, "I'm sorry."

Sammy sat there as the tears slowly came to a stop. He couldn't remember ever crying as much as he had lately. He was just so tried to crying. Actually, he was just tired. Maybe he should go back to sleep. Things always seemed better after a good nap and he really wanted things to be better.

Rubbing his eyes Sammy sniffled once more before standing up. His head was pounding angrily and his stomach felt icky. He'd normally curled up with Dean or Daddy, but now he had to do it alone. He hoped that everything would be back to normal by the time he woke up.

By the time he climbed onto the bed and got under the covers Sammy felt more sleepy than he had ever felt. All he wanted to do was go to sleep but as he laid there with his eyes closed he just couldn't fall asleep. Normally Daddy or Dean would read to him when he felt like this.

He really needed to stop thinking about them. All it made him want to do was curl up and cry more. He didn't want to cry anymore. It made him feel like he as going to throw up. That was always icky. He hated being sick and throwing up.

As he laid there trying to sleep Sammy found himself listening to the cars passing by. It always made him feel better to hear the sound of cars. Dean had even taught him hot to tell that it was the Impala or not. He could almost hear it now.

Wait… That was the Impala! Dean and Daddy had come back. They hadn't left him! They just went to do something while he was sleeping. He had woken up too early and that' why they weren't there. He was so happy that they had come back for him.

Pushing the blankets away he climbed off the bed and rant to the door. As he took hold of the doorknob he froze. He wasn't supposed to open the door alone but he couldn't wait to see his family. He'd deal with getting into trouble if it meant he'd get to see them again.

"Daddy! Dean! You're..." Sammy yelled throwing open the door only to freeze when he didn't see his brother or father, "You're not my Daddy."

A large man was halfway out of the Impala staring at him. He looked a lot like Daddy, but not… He was as tall as Daddy and he was dressed the same way as him. There was just something about him that was wrong though.

It didn't matter to Sammy anymore. He didn't care about any of that. All he wanted was his family back. Where were Dean and Daddy? He just wanted his family back. Why couldn't he just get his family back?

"I..." the man started climbing out of the car fully and taking a step closer to the young boy, "Sam?"


	3. Chapter 3

Leaning his head on the motel door Dean found himself trying to take deep calming breaths and failing. All he could focus on was the sound of the little boy crying his eyes out. It had been over twenty years since he had last heart that sound and it still broke his heart to hear.

Sam hadn't really cried all that often when he was a kid. Mostly because he did everything to make sure his little brother was happy. That's all that he had thought about when the boy was this young. If he could just keep his brother happy than things didn't feel nearly as bad as it was.

Dean had learned a long time ago that the easiest way to make himself or his Dad feel better after a rough case was to hear Sam laugh or to see him smile. It was one of the best things that he knew. Actually, it still was. Sam's smile was hard-earned, but it was well worth it.

Now he was standing here listening to him cry and there was nothing that he could do about it. It had been so long since he had had to calm a crying child down. How was he supposed to figure out what had happened to his brother if he couldn't even talk to the boy?

It was frustrating just standing there not being able to do a thing about the situation. All he wanted to do was take care of his brother like he always had and he was failing on a massive scale. Just like he had been doing for what felt like the last few years they were together.

Dean had felt more than a little hurt when Sam had left for college, but he understood in a way. Growing up he watched his brother rebel against everything Dad was teaching them. It really shouldn't have taken him by surprised when he finally decided to leave them.

Still, even after the past few years of working together again he found himself wondering if he was going to get sick of hunting and leave again. Dean wasn't exactly proud of those thoughts when they came, but no matter how much he tried he could never fully get away from them.

A small part of him would always think that he was Sam's second choice. If Jessica hadn't been killed Sam might not have ever come back to be hunting with him again. If he hadn't gone to see his brother that day… Dean really didn't want to think about that.

Hell, there wasn't much that he wanted to think about lately. His mind just wouldn't stop though. Over and over he played everything that had happened over the last few years and just how different things would be if he and Sam hadn't been together when everything happened.

He and Sam had always kept each other planted firmly in reality. Which was not the easiest thing to do since they spent most of their time killing things that everyone thought didn't exist. The idea of hunting alone wasn't exactly a pleasant one.

Though sometimes it felt as if he was alone. He knew that no matter the hunt his brother would have his back. During a fight they acted as if nothing had changed between them. It was outside of the hunt that things got a little on the dicey side. It was as if they were strangers.

All Dean had wanted since he had gotten on the road with Sam again was to get back what they had lost. At every turn though it seemed as if they lost the little that they had gained. He had his brother right next to him and he was slowly losing him.

Now his little brother was actually little and he had no idea what could have done this to him. Or he had a lot of ideas and exactly zero of them made sense. It obviously had to be something supernatural, but Sam was a hell of a lot better at figuring out the what than he was.

Their last case had been an angry spirit and had been rather easy. At least it had been easy compared to how their lives had been lately. Though Dean was pretty sure that hunting anything that wasn't Lucifer would be easy.

It would be easy enough for Lucifer to find a witch to do some major mojo on Sam, but if that was true than he would have taken the boy when Dean wasn't around. It made no sense for the fallen angel to do half a plan like this.

As bad as it sounded finding out what did this to Sam had to be his second thought. Right now Sam was a child, an honest to God child, and that had to be the first thought in his mind. Sam was the most important person in his life and he always would be.

There was just one extremely big problem with that. Sam had no idea who he was. The boy was sitting five feet away from him needing his big brother and not knowing that he was right there. He wanted nothing more than to be able to comfort the boy.

There was nothing that Dean could do though. For the first time ever he could do nothing. He couldn't be the hero that he had always been with his brother. He was slowly starting to realize that him

being alone also meant that his little brother was alone too.

Dean hated that idea the more he thought about it. The two of them had been all over the country never staying in one place long enough to have anyone really know who they were. Sam was his best friend and he knew that the younger man felt the same way.

Everything was just so damn complicated now that he wasn't sure that they'd ever get out of this mess. Hell, Lucifer was walking around trying to get Sam to be his puppet. If they'd be able to get the fallen angel back into the box he'd be surprised.

He had been trying to get a hold on the situation between Sam and Lucifer, but he didn't understand it. The best he could figure was that they both got each other for some reason. Dean just wanted to keep them as faraway from each other as possible.

The sound of a hiccup had his shoulders tensing. God, his heart and head hated that noise. He wanted nothing more than to bash his head into the wall. Anything at all to get it to stop. Taking a deep breath he turned towards the beds ready to do what he had to.

"Hey, Kiddo," Dean started with what he hoped was a peaceful smile, "I know I'm not the person you were hoping for, but I'm not going to hurt you."

"W-Want De and Dad-Daddy," Sammy said his voice barely understandable between the sobs.

"I know you do, Sammy. I know."

"Didn't say good-bye. Don't love me anymore."

"Of course they love you, Sammy. You know that, but you also know that your Daddy has a very important job to do."

"H-Help people."

"Exactly, he helps people. Late last night he got a call from someone asking for help. It was a very tough job though. He needed Dean to help him. They had to leave right then and you were sleeping so your Daddy called me. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because who better to take care of a Sammy than a Dean?"

The man watched as the bloodshot hazel eyes finally looked up at him. He looked as if he had just been told that he had won a trip to Disney World. Dean couldn't help but smile at the look. It had been so long since he had seen Sam look so innocent.

Dean might be four years older than his brother, but he was still a child. When they were kids he had taken care of the boy and had wanted to keep him safe. Still, he was young too. He had no way to know that those times were something to be treasured.

He loved Sam with all of his heart, but being his big brother along with a father figure was difficult. It didn't matter in the end. Sam was his little brother and no witch or demon or whatever they were up against was going to break that relationship.

"You're a Dean?" Sammy questioned his eyes going wide.

"I am," Dean smiled widely motioning to himself, "I'm sorry it took so long for me to get here. I know it's scary being all alone."

"Thought they were mad at me."

"You should know better, Sammy. They love you more than anything."

"Love them too."

Sam looked so happy at that thought and it caused no little amount of panic in Dean. The boy was young. If he was right he was only three or four. His whole life surrounded around his brother and his father. Neither of which were actually here.

He had no idea how long he could keep up the lie before it all come crumbling down. If he remembered his brother at this age as well as he thought it wouldn't be long before he was demanding his family. At most he had a week until everything fell apart.

There wasn't much that the man could do to stop that, but he also knew he couldn't do it alone. Normally he'd just call Cass to help, but Sam needed someone he already knew and trusted. There was only one person that was still alive that could do that.

"Your Daddy said you know Bobby," Dean offered standing up.

"Uncle Bobby!" Sammy yelled excitedly bouncing slightly on the bed, "Here?"

"Not here. I'm going to take you to his place."

"Daddy knows?"

"Yes, your Daddy knows. He's going to meet us there once they're done with the job. Why don't you get ready to get on the road?"

Sam nodded his head quickly before jumping off the bed and rushing into the bathroom. A sigh fell from Dean's lips once the door closed. There was a lot of things that needed to be done, starting with clothes for the young boy, and it was not going to be fun.

The pounding in his head seemed to be getting worse the more time went on. Everything was just wrong with the situation. Starting with the fact that he was once again lying to his brother. Okay, so the guy was just a kid, but that didn't make him feel better.

He should be used to that by now, but every time a new lie came up between them it hurt. There were so many lies between them that it was hard to keep track of them. Even he could barely remember if what he says was the truth or just another lie.

Ever since Dad had told him about everything that went bump in the night Dean had thought that lying about how bad things really were. After Sam found out about their world Dean kept trying to keep him that sweet, innocent little boy.

That blew up in his face. He didn't know if the younger man resented him like he did their dad, but he really hoped that wasn't the case. The last thing he wanted to do was have the boy he helped noise hate him for any reason. Especially hating him subconsciously.

It was about this age that Dean started to wonder why their family was so different than other families. Dean quickly got over that line of questioning while Sam held onto it. He had wanted 'normal' a hell of a lot more than his older brother had.

For the most part. There was one thing about a normal life that was actually appealing. That was living in a world and not knowing everything they did. It would be a huge lie, but at least they'd be able to live without being afraid all the damn time.

There was a price to everything though. They did good work and without them a lot of people would have been killed. The idea of giving that up for normalcy was not one he liked. Still, to know that Sam wouldn't have to deal with everything. It made sense sometimes.

That's all Dean really wanted. For Sam to be okay. He couldn't do that though. Not when there was such a rift between them. He just wanted his brother back. In more ways than one now. Why did supernatural creature always go after Sam?

His brother was one of the smartest people that Dean had ever met. Something that painted a target on his back. He could go up against anything and figure out how to stop it. A lot of being wanted him dead because of something that should have protected him.

That was one thing that Dean couldn't protect Sam from. The boy was just too smart for his own good. He always had been. It got him in trouble a lot in school as well. He never seemed to realize that being so smart got him on so many hit lists.

"I'm ready!" Sammy announced walking out of the bathroom.

"You sure, Kiddo?" Dean questioned staring down at him.

"Yes, Sir!"

"You can just call me Dean, Sammy. Let's get going. Do you want to stop for food first or drive for a bit?"

"Food please!"

"Food it is."

Grabbing up their stuff Dean walked outside with Sam and put everything into the trunk. By the time he looked back at Sam he saw the boy looking at him with fear filled eyes. Taking a step forward he watched as his brother took a step back.

"Sammy?" Dean asked gently, "What's wrong?"

"Impala," Sammy whispered touching the car, "Daddy's Impala."

"No, my Impala. I got it from my dad."

"Not Daddy's Impala?"

"Not your daddy's Impala. I'm sorry, Sammy. Are you ready to go?"

"Ready."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a list of things that I'm going to attempt to write in this story, but if there's anything you want to see tell me and I'll try to add it!

Dean tried to hold back a chuckle as Sammy bounced in the backseat. The boy always looked so excited when he knew that it was time for food. He loved to eat and would eat practically anything. It wasn't until he was older that he got pickier about what he ate.

For all of their dad's flaws the one thing he was good at was making sure they had food. It might not be food they liked, but they never went hungry. It was a small thing that he really should have had to think about, but he had heard horror stories so he took the win.

All their lives there had been a certain way to do things. Of course, by 'way to do things' he meant whatever the best way to keep Sam in the dark was. It sounded bad when he thought about it, but it was his job to protect the younger boy and he did. He always did.

Taking a deep breath the hunter pushed those thoughts from his mind. It would do no good for him to dwell on the past. Right now he had a child in his care and that had to be his first thought. Even if all he wanted to do was find a way to fix things.

That would have to wait until he got to Bobby's. He would never risk leaving his little brother alone in this state. There were too many beings in their world that would use and abuse Sam if they found out that he was an innocent, little babe.

And if Lucifer got his hands on the boy? Dean didn't want to think about what would happen if he did. Sam fought so hard to keep his self free from the fall angel and now he couldn't do that. He'd very easily fall for everything the man said.

Maybe just he and Bobby wouldn't be enough to the boy safe. There was one other person that he could call. Not that he actually wanted to call the angel and even if he did he was not going to admit it out loud. Though no one was around to hear him say he liked Cass.

It might be his only choice though. The more people around the help keep Sammy safe the better. Okay, when they got to the diner he'd make the call to the angel and have him come see the boy. Maybe he knew something that could do this.

"Mr. Dean?" Sammy questioned softly.

Almost instantly the hunters shoulder tensed. He hated having his brother call him that. It was so wrong to be referred to as if he was just another stranger. Though to the boy that was exactly what he was. Just another person that wasn't he family.

That thought just didn't sit well with him. Not only had Sammy decided to trust a total stranger because he had said that he knew his daddy. Had the boy always been this never? Did he and Dad not teach him that he needed to keep himself safe when they weren't around?

It was actually surprising that he hadn't been kidnapped or lead astray from him when the boy was younger. He was surprisingly easy target. Dean both didn't and did want to know exactly when he had lost that innocence and trust he had in people.

A sad thought popped into his mind at that. If he had done his job correctly than he never should have lost that. Though hunting and having faith in humanity did not actually go hand in hand. That kind of faith usually lead to the hunter dying very quickly.

"What's up, Sammy?" Dean replied hoping his voice didn't betray how upset he was by the whole situation.

"Do you think Dean and Daddy are okay?" Sammy questioned his eyes flickering between his hand and the rear-view mirror.

Green eyes locked with hazel in the mirror for a moment before the boy looked away. He looked so worried and lost. Is that the kind of look that Bobby he'd been forced to deal with when he took care of Sammy? No wonder the older man did everything that the boy wanted.

Dad had always complained that the man spoiled Sammy. He feed the boy all of his favorite foods and bought him new toys every time he stayed over. By the time he was ten he had his own little toy room in the hunter's house. That was probably a lot sadder than it sounded.

"Of course they're okay," Dean offered with a fake smile as he added yet another lie to the list, "Daddy always sends me to bed first, but I've seen them."

Dean felt his heart sink at that. He remembered those times. He had still been new to the whole hunting thing and Dad had brought him on some simple hunts to teach him. In truth, he was a horrible hunter in the very beginning he got hurt quite a bit.

He and Dad had had a very long talk about keeping Sammy in the dark. Dad was a hunter, but he was still their father. He had wanted to keep his youngest away from this life until he no longer could. That happened a lot sooner than either of them had wanted.

That happened about the time Sammy was seven years old. Dean hated thinking about that day. He had never been so terrified in his life. As odd as it sounded he still had nightmares of that day. He would never be able to leave that day in the past.

Shaking his head he tried to knock the thoughts away. He couldn't let himself get lost in thoughts like that. It never ended well for him or anyone else really. Thinking over all his failures always put him in a bad, borderline suicidal kind of mood during hunts.

The man knew that he had a problem. He could very easily admit it to himself. He'd never say it out loud of course, but to himself he knew that he was not as okay as he tried to make everyone believe. Not that he was going to stop anytime soon.

"Don't worry about them, Sammy," Dean soothed pulling into the parking lot of the diner, "Your Daddy would never let anything happen to Dean. Now, you ready for food?"

"Food!" Sammy yelled excitedly a beautifully large smile coming to his lips.

Smiling back Dean got out of the car before helping the boy out as well. Sammy slipped his hand into Dean's causing the hunter to look down. In the back of his mind he knew that it was just something little kids do, but it still felt nice to believe Sammy actually trusted him.

Leading the boy inside of the diner and to a table he tried to keep himself focused on the here and now instead of the past. Everything that was happening was just so damn familiar and somehow it still felt as if he was experiencing it all for the first time.

Maybe it was because he could finally understand what it all meant. Having a child show so much trust in him after just meeting him was a wonderful feeling. This was the first time that it happened to him as an adult. He finally understood why their dad had been so protective.

"So, what do you want, Sammy?" Dean questioned once they were sitting down.

"Ice cream!" Sammy said instantly his eyes glinting happily.

"Ice cream? Maybe after lunch, kiddo, but you need to eat real food first."

"You sound like Daddy."

Dean had no idea how it was possible for one simple sentence to both make his heart soar and break at the same time. Truthfully he did not want to think of why being compared to his dad made him feel so conflicted. His head was going to explode by the end of this, wasn't it?"

"Doesn't mean I'm wrong," Dean teased tapping the menu, "What sounds good?"

"Umm..." Sammy started staring at words that he could almost read.

If Dean was right his brother was just starting to learn to read and write and was excelling at it. The boy had always been smart though. Learning was just something that he was not only good at, but that he absolutely loved doing.

"Chicken!" Sammy exclaimed pointing at the word excitedly.

"Chicken sandwich or chicken stripes?" Dean asked looking his own menu.

"Sandwich."

"Okay. Do you want fries, onion rings, tater tots, or apple sauce?"

"Apple sauce."

"And to drink?"

"Water."

"Alright. Let's wait for the waitress."

The two sat there quietly for a moment before their orders were taken. The waitress had been kind enough to bring Sammy a coloring page and some crayons. Almost instantly the boy was enthralled with his coloring.

It should have been a peaceful moment, but Dean found himself looking at everyone wondering if they were human or not. Was this how Dad had felt all the time when they were kids? Like he had a hair trigger? Was that why he had always been so easy to aggravate?

Dean couldn't deal with that. He refused to risk snapping at his brother because he was too stressed out. It was time to call in backup. Which meant that it was time to explain to the little boy that his friend was going to be joining them on their trip to Bobby's.

"Sammy," Dean spoke up dragging the boy from his coloring, "Do you mind if a friend of mine joins us? I need to talk to him."

"Okay," Sammy answered without much thought going back to his picture without a car in the world.

Dean stared at this child for a moment before sighing. Once again the boy was showing just how innocent he was. It was frustrating the hunter the more time went on. Maybe some adult conversation would help. If you could count Castiel as an adult.

Pulling out his phone he called the angel and gave him the place of the diner. It was a simple thing called Cass and getting him to come. He was like a little puppy dog. Once he was called he would go anywhere he was pointed and it took a lot to get him to leave.

"Dean," Castiel greeted appearing in front of the table causing both Sam and Dean to jump.

"God..." Dean started before cutting himself off from cursing.

"You called."

Dean stared at the angel for a moment letting it sink. Sometimes it really hard to take the man serious. He was just so… He was supposed to be an angel of the Lord but he acted like a child most of the time. It was actually a little strange to watch.

"Is something wrong, Dean?" Castiel questioned his head cocking to the side.

"First," Dean spoke pointing to the other side of the table, "Sammy, this is my friend Castiel. Cass, this is Sammy."

Blue eyes slowly moved over to the little boy before darting back to Dean confusion clear in his eyes. The hunter gave a slight nod of his head letting the angel know that his thinking was right. Though he'd probably have to explain in detail to the angel later.

"Sammy?" Castiel repeated looking back at the boy.

"Hi," Sammy shyly replied before reaching out as if he wanted Castiel to shake his hand.

Dean had to look away from them for a moment. He wasn't really a kid person, but he had to admit that was cute. Sammy was acting like a little adult. It was so odd to see exactly how the boy acted to strangers when his brother and father weren't around.

"Hello, Sammy," Cass nodded just as softly as the boy reaching out take the hand in his.

Sammy pulled his hand away his hair falling in front of his face as he went back to coloring. Castiel continued to stare at the boy until Dean finally reached over and pulled him into the booth next to him. Blue eyes left Sammy and locked onto Dean just as the waitress dropped their food off.

"What about you, Hun?" the waitress asked turning towards the angel.

"Nothing," Cass answered shaking his head.

The woman nodded her head before leaving. Normally Sammy would be stuffing his face by now, but instead he was watching the angel. He looked so concerned about something. Why did his brother have to look so damn adorable? It was weird to think but he was kind of glad that he got to see it again.

"What's wrong, kid?" Dean questioned popping a fry in his mouth, "Did they get you sandwich wrong?"

"No," Sammy replied shaking his head.

"Then why aren't you eating?"

"Mr. Cass not eating."

Dean looked over at the angel attempting to figure out what he was thinking. It was so hard to read him though. He was sure that Cass was thinking something that probably shouldn't be said out loud. His brother might be a kid, but he and Castiel still had a rather difficult relationship.

"I already ate," Cass lied calmly, "Thank you for your concern, Sammy."

"You talk funny," Sammy giggled before he started to eat.

"Be nice," Dean popped in with a shake of his head, "Sammy, have you ever meet Castiel before?"

Hazel eyes darted over the angel face quickly before shaking his head negatively. Well that blew a hole in the idea that the boy might have some thoughts from his adult life. It seemed as if he really was just a kid. What the hell could have changed his brother into a child and wipe all of his memories?

"Tell me you have some ideas," Dean practically pleaded turning to the angel.

"No," Castiel shook his head a pained look on his face, "I can not detect any kind of magic on him."

"Of course not. Do you think your brother could have anything to do with this?"

"Lucifer or Gabriel?"

"I didn't even think of Gabriel. Could either of them have done this?"

"It's possible, but it would take a great difficulty to hide the traces of angelic power. The most I can tell you is that he is healthy. No harm came to him during the transformation."

"That's almost something."

"I am truly sorry, Dean."

"It's okay. Just have to figure this out some other way."

"I can talk to them to see if they have any idea what happened."

"Cass, I can't ask you to do that. Gabriel with be fine, but Lucifer? He might not let you come back in one piece."

A soft gasp came from the other side of the table causing both men to look over. Sammy was sitting there at them with wide eyes. Dean should have realized that the boy would be listening to their conversation. He wouldn't understand it, but he'd get Castiel being in danger.

Scared eyes darted between Dean and Castiel for a moment before the young boy was suddenly out of the booth and climbing onto their side. He plopped himself between the angel and the hunter glaring up at Dean looking as if he was attempting to protect Castiel.

That was a sight to see. A glaring Sammy pretty much looked like a puppy. It was absolutely ridiculous and in any other situation he would have found it hilarious. Instead it simply hurt to think that his little brother truly believed that he was dangerous.

On the other hand it reminded him how his brother really was as an adult. He was ready to protect someone that he didn't even know. It was one of the things that Dean loved the most about his brother. Just his overall heart.

"No hurt Mr. Cass," Sammy stated firmly.

"I don't want Cass hurt any more than you do, Sammy," Dean offered holding his hands up.

"You said..."

"I know what I said. I know it sounds bad, but you can't run away from problems. You have to face it."

"But Mr. Cass could be hurt."

"He could be, but other people could be hurt if he doesn't."

"I don't..."

Sammy sank down in the booth looking so confused. The hunter could remember that feeling. It was hard to understand why their family had to be hunters when he was a kid. In truth he had wanted to be normal for awhile too. Until he learned that his being odd helped others be normal.

"Castiel knows the risk," Dean explained with a soft smile, "He knows that someone had to do the tough jobs to keep everyone else safe."

"O-Okay," Sammy slowly responded his eyes darting between the men once more.

Looking down at the boy Dean couldn't help but reach over and brush his hair out of his face. Sammy looked so tired in that moment. All the hunter wanted to do was pick up his brother and carry him out of the diner.

Almost instantly the image of their dad carrying his brother out of places filled his mind. He could remember the child simply curling in his arms and holding on for dear life. It was something that always brought a smile to his lips.

"You ready to go?" Dean questioned his voice barely over a whisper.

"Yeah," Sammy nodded his head holding back a yawn.

"Alright, let's go to the bathroom and we can go. Cass, wrap up our food please. Then go talk to them."

Dean helped Sammy out of the booth and to the bathroom. He wanted to turn back to the angel and explain more, but he was already halfway to the restroom. He'd have to call him again and tell him to go to Bobby's house once he was done with his brothers.

"Don't you just love single fathers?" a random woman spoke up as they walked past, "So sexy."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a list of things that I'm going to attempt to write in this story, but if there's anything you want to see tell me and I'll try to add it!

A soft sigh fell from Castiel's lips as he once again came up empty on his search for Lucifer. He had been looking for about two house now and still he was no closer to the fallen angel than he had been when he started. In truth, he had gotten to the point of going to places that he knew he had been in the past.

As an angel he couldn't actually get tired but he believed that was exactly what he was feeling at the moment. All he wanted to do was find his brothers and find out if they knew what was going on. He had known that it would be a difficult mission, but he still had to do it.

When he had first been told that he was to get Dean Winchester out of Hell he hadn't known what to think. Of course he had heard his fair share of everything the brothers had not only done, but had also been destined to do. He had thought that he had known them.

Then he met them. Neither man was what he had expected. In fact they were quite the opposite. It was more than a little confusing and even after all the time he had spent with them he still had no idea if he should believe the things that he had heard about them in Heaven.

He had thought that it would be an easy assignment. It was fated that the Winchester brothers would be the vessels for Michael and Lucifer. No one could stop the two archangels from getting exactly what they wanted. No one could fight against them.

By now they should have been in full control of their rightful vessels and yet they weren't. The humans were so much stronger than Castiel could have ever thought. It should have been an easy mission. It should have never gotten as far as it had gotten. Yet here they were.

Shaking his head the angel looked up at the sky letting the sun warm him. It was getting late in the afternoon and soon the sun would go down completely. A large part of him wanted to sit down and watch the sunset. Anything to have a piece of calm in his life.

Heaven hadn't been exactly calm since God had left but it was the most beautiful place he had ever sen. He missed his home more than he could say, but when he saw the sun rising or setting or when he saw a rainbow during a storm he felt as close to home as possible.

"Father made this world beautiful, didn't he?" a deep calm voice came from behind him, "This is one of my favorite places to come to remember."

Turning around slowly Castiel found himself coming face to face with Lucifer. A wave of fear coursed through him at the sight of his older brother and he hated that. The last thing he wanted was to feel afraid being around his family. He couldn't stop the feeling from coming though.

The angel had thought that he had everything figured out before he came down to Earth. Now he knew better. He was running on pure instinct at this point and it showed in his actions. Mostly in the stupidity of those actions and the largeness of the consequences.

As much as he hated to admit it to himself he was actually learning a lot of things from the Winchester brother. He wasn't sure that was the best place to learn about the world but it was a good place to learn about family and love and sacrifice.

Castiel had found himself attempting to compare his family to the brothers. It was easy to see the similarities between Lucifer and Sam as well as Michael and Dean. At least that was easy when he only focused on the stories that everyone told.

He had been nothing but a child when the war was going on. He had practically no memories before the war began and he wasn't even sure that he could trust those thoughts. They were so peaceful that there was no way that they could possibly be real. Right?

The angel had no idea what to think anymore. All he could do was follow orders and he wasn't sure that the should be doing that. He wished nothing more than to have everything go back tot he simple easiness that he had known back in Heaven. He missed his own.

None of that mattered at the moment. Right now it was time to focus on helping Sam… Sammy. Was there a difference? Dean seemed to act like there was. He had been acting oddly. Though even Castiel could admit that it was a rather odd situation.

Shaking his head slightly the angel looked back at his brother taking in everything that was him. It was odd to be around the fallen angel and not have his mind race over things that he wasn't sure he understood anymore. He wanted to ask his brother so many questions.

Could he actually still think of Lucifer as his brother? The only real memories about the fallen angel that he could think of were… Castiel didn't know what to think about those. They were so far in the past that it was doubtful they mattered much anymore.

Castiel attempted to steel himself to talk to the other angel only to find the other staring at a rose bush. He looked calmer than he had ever seen and that had Castiel both angered and confused. Either he didn't care what happened to Sam or he had no idea.

He didn't believe that for a second. Lucifer had made it clear that he cared for the hunter. In everything he did to the man there was a sense of… The angel had no idea how to describe their relationship. All he knew was that it worried Dean as much as it worried him.

"Was there a reason you were looking for me all alone, dear brother?" Lucifer questioned his icy eyes turning to Castiel sending shivers up his spine.

"Have you don't anything to the Winchester brothers recently?" Castiel asked back hoping he didn't sound nearly as fearful as he felt.

"I have done nothing to anyone. Lately. Why do you ask?"

"Sam..."

Castiel got no further than that before he felt himself being thrown backwards onto the ground. He barely had time to think when a foot was stepping on his chest holding him in place. This was the being that he had heard of. The one that he was afraid of.

For a moment it was clear that he was looking up at the Lucifer that had ran Hell. He was one the wrong side of the fallen angel. The fact that he was the angel's brother meant nothing to him. All he seemed to care about was his vessel. Which he could understand.

At least he thought he could. Every time he thought he was close to figuring out something about the situation something happened to change that. It only got more confusing the harder he tried to understand a world he clearly knew nothing about.

"Castiel," Lucifer spoke his voice deathly calm and void of any emotion, "Speak quickly."

"You did nothing to him?" Castiel asked staring up at the fallen angel.

"You are testing my patience. No, I did nothing to Sam. Now speak before I decide that I can get the answers without you."

"Sam has been transformed into a four year version of himself."

Lucifer stared down at Castiel for a moment before he moved away. Blue eyes watched closely as the older angel moved back to the rose bush. He looked so calm for a moment that he had a feeling that he was in the eye of the storm. The bush suddenly burst into flames letting him know he was right.

It was so odd to watch the fallen angel like this. It was the closest that Lucifer had ever gotten to breaking down. As much as he understood not wanting to lose his vessel he still felt as if there was something that he was missing that would explain it all.

Making sure his movements were slow the angel stood up. He made no movement to get closer to his brother. A voice in the back of his head said that despite what he had just seen the other being would not truly hurt him. At least that was what he was hoping for.

"My apologies," Lucifer continued after a moment turning back to Castiel, "Tell me everything."

"We do not know much," Castiel offered finally taking a cautious step closer to the other angel, "As far as we can tell Sam awoken as a child. He has no memories of his adult life and has no idea who Dear or I are."

"Is he harmed?"

"No, at least not physically. I do believe that he is having a difficult time not having the version of his brother that he is used to, but he has also yet to cry since he was told he was being brought to someone that he knew."

The archangel nodded his head calmly the fire slowly going out. Castiel felt some of the tension leave him as it died out. He knew that Lucifer hadn't truly calmed down any, but he had a little more control over his temper once more. That was all he could ask for.

"You truly did nothing to the boy?" Castiel heard himself question before he could stop.

"I would never harm Sam," Lucifer stated firmly his hand reaching out to go over the now burnt roses, "Take me to him."

"I am not sure that..."

"Listen closely, brother. I keep my distance from Sam on my own will. Not yours. He must come to me and you know that, but never think that I do not have control. If I wish to see him I will see him."

"Sam is a child right now. He's..."

"Vulnerable? Yes, I would imagine so. All the more reason for him to be protected."

"Dean and I..."

"Can only do so much. You know I would keep him safe from all that are after him."

Castiel looked away at that. He didn't want to admit that out of all of the things that he feared coming out of the woodworking for Sam the fallen angel was at the top. A soft sigh fell from Lucifer as he turned to face the younger angel once more.

It was the first time that he could say he saw real emotion on his brothers face. Lucifer had never been easy to read. No… Wait… That wasn't right. He could almost remember the other angel when they were in Heaven. He could almost put his finger on memories he long since forgot.

"Oh, dear little brother," Lucifer sighed his voice painted with sympathy, "You are still nothing more than a babe. So small and innocent. So new to thinking."

A warmth filled Castiel that he couldn't quite explain. Looking at the ground he tried to figure out what he was feeling, but he couldn't. He had gotten used to not understanding humanity, but he usually understood himself. Before he could think more his phone rang.

"Dean," Castiel greeted calmly, "Has something happened?"

"No," the hunter answered his voice soft, "Sammy finally fell asleep. We're almost to Bobby's place. Have you found the major and minor pains in my ass?"

"Major and minor..."

"Lucifer and Gabriel, Cass. Have you found them yet?"

"Oh, I have found Lucifer."

"Did he do it?"

"He says he didn't and I find myself believing him. Dean, he wishes to see Sam."

"Over my dead body! He might not have done _this_ , but he's done enough to my brother to never want them on the same planet let alone the same room! He's not seeing Sammy."

"I am unsure that he will take that for an answer this time, Dean. It might be best to bring him myself instead of him coming by himself."

The hunter fell silent for a moment causing the angel to believe their phone call had been cut off. Before he could hang up and call him back Dean let out a soft angry curse. He clearly disliked what he was thinking and in truth Castiel did not like it either.

"Fine," Dean finally spat out, "I'll call you and tell you when to bring him. Sammy needs some time. Just find Gabriel."

Before Castiel could reply Dean had hung up. Blinking a few times Castiel put the phone back in his pocket. Turning back to his brother he took in the look on his face trying to place it. He had seen it before. He had seen it… On Dean earlier in the day. When Sammy had gotten tired.

That didn't make any sense. There was no reason for the fallen angel to look like that. Unless… It was clear that Lucifer cared for Sam. He he just never thought about their relationship closely. There was no need to. Sam was Lucifer's vessel. That was all that mattered. Right?"

"Dean will call when Sam's ready for visitors, "Castiel offered after a moment, "For now I must speak with Gabriel."

"Than let us go," Lucifer replied calmly, "Where do we start?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a list of things that I'm going to attempt to write in this story, but if there's anything you want to see tell me and I'll try to add it!

A soft sigh fell from Castiel's lips as he and Lucifer appeared in another motel. It was the seventh or eighth place that they had been to and each was seedier than the last. Not even Sam and Dean would go to places as bad as these. Which was actually saying a lot. They weren't known for their standards.

Still, it was the perfect place to find Gabriel or the Trickster. At least that's what Lucifer seemed to think. Castiel wasn't all that sure about that, but he also had no idea where to look. A motel was as good a place to start looking as any. As long as they found the other archangel.

Castiel had thought that it would be easier for one archangel to find another, but that didn't seem to be the case. Lucifer was just as lost finding Gabriel as the other angel was. In truth, Castiel wasn't all that sure that they were ever going to find the angel.

Gabriel had many, many years of hiding on his side. If he didn't want to be found than he wouldn't be. Though he had thought the same thing about Lucifer. He still wasn't sure why the fallen angel appeared to him or how he knew that he was looking for him.

Looking over at the fallen angel Castiel tried to figure out what he was thinking. He could barely read human faces let alone angel's. It still confused him as to why he was chosen to come to Earth and deal with not only the Winchester brothers but humanity all together. He understood nothing of them.

With every moment that passed on Earth he found himself questioning everything more and more. He wanted something to come easily on this mission so he could continue to believe that everything he knew was the reality of the situation.

Instead of working towards that goal though he was searching for Gabriel with Lucifer to help Sam Winchester. That made no sense. His job was not to look after Sam. The hunter was already damned to his fact. Why was he helping him?

Despite the fact that they had been searching for hours neither had actually spoken a word. That was all Castiel wanted to do though. Question after question flew through his mind that he wanted nothing more than to ask Lucifer.

The fallen angel had much more experience in life than he did. He could understand the world much better than Castiel could ever wish. If anyone would be able to answer the questions he had it would be Lucifer.

He would never ask him though. Unless… No, he had to treat the archangel as if he was the most dangerous being on the planet. Which he was. Castiel couldn't allow himself to forget that. Forgetting that would end up harming not just himself but the entire world.

It was difficult to believe that. The fallen angel was so calm and being around him brought an odd peace to Castiel. He had no idea what he was supposed to think. All he wanted to do was going back to Dean and Sam. Something else he didn't understand.

"Gabriel," Lucifer suddenly spoke up a gentle smile coming to his lips.

"Luci," Gabriel replied a lollipop rolling in his mouth, "And Cassie! Oh happy days."

If Lucifer was calm and peaceful than Gabriel was… Not exactly the opposite, but much angrier. Which was odd. Castiel never thought of the angel as an angry being. He didn't truly know Gabriel anymore than he knew Lucifer. They left when he was young.

He did have a few more memories of Gabriel than Lucifer. Not many, but the ones he had always painted the archangel as a loving, funny angel. That was not the being that he was now. What was it that had changed him so drastically?

It was so disheartening knowing that he didn't know his family at all. After spending all this time with the Winchester brothers Castiel had learned exactly what it meant to have a family. It was a wonderful sight to see and it was something he would never have.

At least not anymore. Since the fighting ended and not only Lucifer left, but Gabriel and God as well. Everything about Heaven had changed. It was no longer the place that the older angels knew. All they had left were stories of a Heaven that they'd probably never get back.

Castiel had never realized how much of his life and knowledge came from stories of the past. He had no real first hand experience of anything. Lucifer had been right to say that he was nothing more than a little babe learning of the real world.

What he did know was that it was completely possible that Gabriel had done something to Sam. He did seem to have the young hunter in his sight for some reason. Dean as well, but there was just something about Sam that drew the angel to him.

That was also why Castiel truly didn't want it to be Gabriel anymore than he wanted it to have been Lucifer. He knew that neither angel was exactly a good being, but he still wanted them to be… good. Just as he was beginning to wish Sam had a different destiny.

Gabriel and Lucifer were probably the only other two angels that saw the hunter. They still cared about his destiny of being Lucifer's vessel, but they knew that that wasn't the only thing that he was. Sam Winchester was a good man.

Castiel knew that getting attached to either brother was not exactly a good idea, but he couldn't stop himself. They were very similar to the stories that he had been told of his brothers. It was odd to think that the hunters were so similar to who the angels used to be.

The young angel found himself wondering if Lucifer had fought as hard as Sam was. If he had someone that cared for him like Dean cared. Or had he done it alone? Is that one of the reasons why the angel had fallen as far as he had?

Sam was one of the strongest people that Castiel had ever met. Even in the most hopeless situation the hunter was more than willing to lay his life down to save innocent people. Yet he was known as an abomination to all of the angels in Heaven.

"I do have things to do," Gabriel spoke up knocking Castiel from his thought, "Is there are reason you've been looking for me?"

Once again the angels fell into silence. Castiel had thought that Lucifer would have taken control of the situation, but he didn't speak up. Instead he simply stood there watching Gabriel with a blank look on his face. It was actually a little odd to see.

Though maybe it was odder to see that Gabriel had the exact same look on his face. Their human bodies were not related, but that was the same look. They were definitely of the same blood. And they had grown apart so much so quickly. At least by angelic standards.

"Have you done anything to Sam Winchester recently?" Castiel finally questioned turning to the shorter being.

"Recently?" Gabriel repeated taking the candy from his mouth and tapping it on his lips, "No. Unlike you, Cassie, my life doesn't revolve around the Winchester boys. A fact that's becoming more and more blurry the more times you come to me for help. What exactly happened to my favorite little hunter?"

"Sam has been transformed into his four year old self."

For a second Castiel thought that Gabriel hadn't heard him than the angel started to laugh hard enough that he doubled over. While Castiel was sure that he had done nothing to Sam he was no longer sure he'd help find a way to turn him back.

The young angel let his eyes dart over to Lucifer. The blank look was still there but there was something under it. He was letting them see his emotions again. Or… Was it possible that for a moment he had lost control of his emotions?

That didn't sound like Lucifer at all. Though laughing at another beings pain didn't sound like Gabriel either. A large part of Castiel wanted to turn away from both of them and go back to Dean. They could figure out things alone.

Lucifer and Gabriel cared for Sam he was sure of that. What he wasn't sure of was whether or not they had his best interest in mind. That belonged to Dean and Dean alone. Something that the brothers were both away of.

Turning back to Gabriel Castiel noticed that the angel was doing his best to avoid looking at Lucifer. There was something bigger going on between them that neither of them seemed to want to think about. Something that was not going away anytime soon.

"Oh, that is beautiful," Gabriel finally continued after calming down, "Where's the pint-sized giant?"

"With Dean," Castiel offered instantly, "Why?"

"So I can see what did this. That's why you're here, right? To see if I did it and then to see if I'd help if I didn't do it."

"And you will help?"

"Of course. I'm always up for helping Sam Winchester."

"Does 'helping' include torture?" Lucifer asked softly causing both angels to look at him.

Almost instantly Gabriel had a look of pure anger on his face. Castiel forced himself to stay in place though all he wanted to do was step away from the angel. He had thought that Lucifer was terrifying, but he was supposed to be. Gabriel was not.

The lollipop fell to the ground as the shorter archangel stepped forward so he was toe-to-toe with Lucifer. It was as if the air was electrified. Castiel was almost positive that one of them was going to take a swing at the other. It wouldn't do much, but it would hurt.

"Torture?" Gabriel mocked a tight smile on his lips, "Coming from the King of Hell I'll take that as a compliment."

"I don't do much torture locked in a cage," Lucifer responded instantly his tone taking a dark turn.

"No, of course not. There's always someone else to blame."

"I take responsibility for all that I have done. There is no reason to blame anyone."

"I guarantee there are many people blaming you."

"Every story has to have a villain. I was the one that the world latched onto."

"They didn't have to look for."

The two archangels stared at each other before Gabriel finally scoffed and turned away. Another lollipop appeared in his hand but he didn't put it in his mouth. With his back turned to Lucifer Gabriel's face fell. He looked so heartbroken in that moment.

If he was so hurt why was he acting so angry towards the other angel? Would it not be easier to simply tell Lucifer what he was thinking? The fallen angel might not be the best being, but he was intelligent. He would understand what the man was thinking.

"Gabriel," Castiel tried to start stepping closer to his brother, "Are you..."

"Are we going or not?" Gabriel interrupted his voice harsher than Castiel had ever heard.

The young angel blinked in surprise at the tone. Had he done something to cause the other angel to be angry at him? He truly did not understand how emotions worked sometimes. All he wanted to do was check to see if he was okay. Was that not the right thing to do?

"Gabriel," Lucifer chastised his eyes narrowing.

"You don't get to use that tone with me anymore, Lucifer," Gabriel shot back waving his hand in dismissal.

"Take your anger out on me if you need to, but you know Castiel does not fully understand."

Gabriel's eyes darted over to Castiel before his shoulders dropped. Once again Castiel was hit with the idea that they were hiding something from him. Still, the fact that Lucifer was standing up for him simply because the shorter angel had spoken harshly to him.

"Fine," Gabriel sighed his voice barely over a whisper, "I'm sorry, Castiel. Look, I don't torture Sam. He's a decent guy, but all of us know how this ends. It'll hurt less if he and Dean can accept that."

"I don't believe they ever will," Castiel said staring at the ground, "They believe they can change what is to happen to them."

"Which makes them either very stupid or very smart."

"I usually go with both."

"Good plan. So, are we off to see Sam?"

"Dean says that Sam needs some time before he meets new people. We'll go tomorrow."

"Come back here then. I've got work to do."

Both Gabriel and Lucifer began to leave, but Castiel found himself standing in the same place. There was something trying to claw its way from his memory. Seeing the two archangels together reminded of a time when all of them were in Heaven.

Gabriel and Lucifer had spent a lot of time together. They were almost always together. If Castiel thought about it he realized that the two of them reminded him a lot of Dean and Sam in a way. At least they used to be. That had fallen apart during the fighting.

That was the main difference between the brothers. Sam and Dean always ended up coming back together no matter how bad the fight. Gabriel and Lucifer had simply stopped all together. As if they never really mattered to the other.

In all the stories that Castiel had heard about the Winchester brothers they were compared to Lucifer and Michael. He really was only getting half the story from everyone. It seemed as if no one cared that the had no idea what he was doing.

All he could determine was out of everyone that had an opinion on Sam very few of them cared for him. Lucifer did care for him. Castiel wasn't sure how, but he did. As did Gabriel. It was possible that he saw himself in the young hunter.

It would make sense for him to take such an interest in the mans life. He was attempting to help Sam the way he wished someone had saved him. That was why he was willing to help the hunter, but he still believed that there was only one ending.

"Castiel," Lucifer called turning back to the young angel, "Are you alright?"

"I don't understand," Castiel replied in a whisper.

"Don't understand what?"

Looking between the two archangels Castiel tried to come up with a way to explain what he was feeling and thinking. There was nothing that he could say though. There was no words to explain any of it. He was simply and completely lost.

"I don't understand," Castiel repeated.


	7. Chapter 7

Groaning loudly Dean felt his back crack as he stretched his back. He had been driving for almost three hours and normally that wouldn't bother him, but with a squirming little kid in the backseat all he wanted to do was get out and stretch his legs.

Something he was pretty sure Sammy wanted as well. Though he had yet to really say a word since they left the diner. It was odd. In all the memories that Dean had of his brother at this age the last thing that he would describe him as well quiet.

Dean wanted nothing more than to find a way to get the boy to get like himself once more. He missed his little brother. He couldn't say he was surprised by it. Everything was coming at him at once and he had no one and nothing to call his own.

Licking his lips he looked back at Sammy once more letting himself remember all the times he and his brother had been trapped in the backseat. They had been allowed to bring two small toys each to play with during the long rides. They always had fun doing that.

They spent all those hours making up story after story to entertain themselves. If they were lucky they could convince Dad to do the voice of the monster. He had been really good at getting the voice right. Sam had loved it whenever Dad played with them.

Sighing softly he looked back at the road just in time to see a sign for a store. Sammy did need a lot of things and it would be a good chance to stretch their legs. It would be nice to spend some time alone with the young boy before he got to Bobby's.

After that he would have to deal with three different angels and Bobby. He didn't mind Bobby and Cass all that much, but the idea of having Lucifer and Gabriel around. He really hated the idea that they would be anywhere near his brother while he couldn't fight them.

Both angels had already proven to him that they would do anything to get what they wanted. Right now his brother was a child a very easily lead astray. It would be no problem to get him to believe anything they wanted to and Dean hated that.

It was his job to protect Sammy and once again the younger boy needed to be protected. He hated thinking it, but he actually kind of missed it. Sam was an adult and though all he wanted was to keep him safe he was pretty good at doing that himself.

Still, Dean loved taking care of his brother. He loved having someone rely on him like that. Something that he had lost back when Sam was in high school. As much as he hated to think it in many ways the boy he had practically raised no longer needed him.

This Sammy did though. He was just a child and Dean was more than happy to do that. Which was something that he was not going to investigate all that hard. All he was doing was taking care of his brother while they searched for a way to get him back.

There was no way that he thought that Sammy was one of the cutest things he had ever seen. He also was not looking forward to spending all of their shopping trip making sure to get the boy to smile. Sam had one of the brightest smiles that he had ever seen.

There had been a lot of times when they were kids that Sam got away with something because of that smile or his puppy dog pout. Those looks could melt the darkest of hearts and the boy had no idea that he could do that. It was amazing.

"Hey, Sammy," Dean started his eyes flicking back to the boy, "I was thinking. Since you don't have any clothes or toys with you, do you want to stop by the store and grab some things?"

Hazel eyes started at Dean like he had gone insane. Which was probably right. Dad had hated shopping and did practically everything he could do to avoid it. He himself had done pretty much the same thing and as soon as he grew out of toys so had his brother.

The hunter knew he should wait for the boy to answer, but he had to admit he was a little excited to see Sammy as a little boy. He had all the memories of watching the child grow up, but it felt different now. He had the chance to appreciate everything that came with taking care of someone.

He had long since figured out that he loved taking care of people. Especially if that person was his brother. He had never really been able to just stop and watch as his brother enjoyed his childhood. He wanted to be able to watch that more than he wanted almost anything else.

"What do you say, kiddo?" Dean questioned once more after he pulled into an empty parking space, "I have to buy you a car seat anyway."

"I..." Sammy stuttered ringing his hands together, "I don't like crowds."

Dean found himself blinking at that. Of all the things that he didn't remember from their childhood how was that one of them? He couldn't think of a time when his brother ever hesitated to walk through a wave of people when the three of them went out together.

Wait… That wasn't right. A vague memory in the back of his mind of Sam and Dad came forth. Dad had told him to wait by the front of the store while he calmed a crying Sam down. It was one of the few times he hadn't been able to do it himself. He never found out why his brother was so upset.

It had taken awhile to calm him down, but when he did Dad had been holding him. He could remember seeing how tightly Sam had held onto their father as they shopped. Hell, the boy had refused to be far from the older man for the entire day. If his memory was right he had fallen asleep in his arms that night.

Looking back at Sammy Dean let himself smile sadly at the sight. The boy looked so awkward and it really shouldn't be as adorable as it was. God, if only Sammy knew who he was so he could hold him tight and give him the comfort he needed. Wait a second…

"Sammy," Dean tried before taking a deep breath and looking back at the little boy, "Sammy, if it's okay. I could carry you."

The beautiful hazel eyes widened at that causing Dean's to do the same. He knew that he was going slightly insane knowing that he was so close to his brother and not being able to do anything about it. He just wanted a fraction of the affection that he was used to.

Okay, so he and Sam had been having a rough time lately, but he was still his brother. There was nothing in the world that would ever drag them too far away from each other for too long. No matter what happened to them they'd always have each other. Which is what they both needed.

"I know I'm not your Daddy or your Dean," Dean continued after a pregnant pause, "But I promise as long as you're in my care you'll be safe."

"Okay," Sammy whispered after taking a shaky breath, "Trust you."

"Thank you, Sammy. Come on, let's go."

Smiling widely Dean nodded his head and climbed out of the car. He opened the back door as well letting the little boy out. Sammy's movements were slow as he got out himself. His eyes darted everywhere before landing on the hunter. Dean offered him a smile as he knelt and opened his arms.

Sammy continued to stare at Dean until he gave a small smile himself. The small boy wrapped his arms around his neck and let the man lift him up. It had been so long since he had held his brother and he had never realized that he had missed it so much. He never wanted to let go.

Standing up he slammed the door shut and started towards the store. There were a lot of thing that he had to buy for the kid and a lot of things he could remember him liking. Books and stuffed animals were two things that the boy had loved for so long.

Dean couldn't remember much about family shopping trips, but he did know that it was the most exhausting things he had ever done. He wanted Sammy to be awake for as much of it as possible. Which meant that the first thing they should do was toys and clothes.

Taking another deep breath Dean grabbed a shopping cart and started to look for the toys. He could feel the boy's head move as they walked around. No matter how shy he was he was still curious about what was going on. That was the Sammy he remembered.

"Alright, kid," Dean said coming to a stop in front of a large section of toy cars, "Are you ready to pick some things out?"

"Toys?" Sammy questioned his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah. We still have hours to drive and you have nothing to play with. Pick something out."

Feeling Sammy nod his head Dean started to walk the aisle stopping whenever the boy pointed at something. A part of the hunter was starting to think it hadn't been the best idea when a soft gasp left the boy.

"Dean," Sammy spoke his voice full of wonder, "Look."

Green eyes followed the pointing finger coming to stop at a stuffed dog. It had been pushed in back making it obvious that no one wanted it. It was made out of random patches sewn together. Dean thought it looked more than a little strange.

Leaning down the hunter picked up the toy only to have the boy reach out and take it from him the second it was in reach. The toy was instantly cuddled into his chest a large grin on his lips. He looked so happy that Dean couldn't help smiling a long with him.

"I take it you like him?" Dean gently teased straightening up.

"Yeah," Sammy answered holding the toy to his face, "Love him."

"What's his name?"

"John. Like Daddy!"

The smile on Dean's lips widened at that. For the first seven years of his brother's life he followed both Dean and their father around like a puppy dog. He absolutely loved the older man and it was nice to be reminded of how things used to be before the fighting started.

"Now you have a Dean and a John," the hunter grinned bouncing the boy slightly, "Ready to keep looking?"

"Candy Land?" Sammy asked his eyes dragging away from the dog, "Dean said it's fun."

"You can't play with that in the car."

"Okay."

Looking down Dean noticed that the boy's full attention was back on the dog. With a soft chuckle the man started towards the board games only to stop in front of the Lego's. He and Sam had loved playing with them when they were young.

While the little boy was focused on his toy Dean grabbed a few boxes before moving on. After he got the boards game he went to the clothing section. It had been so long since he had been in this section. The clothes were so damn small. Just like Sammy now.

Clearing his throat from the sudden onslaught of emotion he forced himself to stop and breathe. As excited as he was to see his brother as a child he had to remember that the boy was not supposed to be a child. He was a grown man and that was what they were trying to get back.

"Dean?" Sammy called dragging him front his thoughts.

"Right here, kiddo," Dean smiled gently, "Ready to get clothes?"

"Yeah."

"Good. What you say we start then?"

As the boy gave a nod of his head Dean started to walk around. Sammy didn't seem to really care what he picked out, but he still had the final say. By the time they had everything it was easy to see that his love of plaid came early on as did a love of superheros, especially Batman.

"Hey, Sammy," Dean started going towards the book section, "Ready to get something to read?"

When no answer came Dean looked down and saw the little boy fast asleep. Pulling the cart to the side he found himself staring down at the peaceful face. Before he could think better of it he brushed the hair from his face and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

Deciding to skip the books the hunter started towards the baby section. He wasn't going to leave without a car seat. He also had no idea how he was supposed to put it in his car or how he was supposed to lift it into the cart while holding the boy at all.

"Okay," Dean whispered looking around the selection, "What am I doing?"

"New car seat time?" a gentle voice came from behind him.

Dean felt his back tense as he got ready to reach for his knife. Which he couldn't really do since he was holding Sammy. How had their dad been able to protect two children and kept them in the dark for awhile. At least until he was ready to tell them.

"Yeah," Dean answered taking in the woman and two children next to him, "A little lost."

"Go with this one," she offered with a smile, "I've had it for three years now and I love it."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Would you like some help? Your son looks out of it."

"Please? He's had a long day."

The woman nodded her head before picking one of the boxes up. Offering another thank you he started towards the front of the store. He had no idea how long he stayed in line, but he was extremely happy to finally leave the place and get back to the Impala.

Sighing he laid Sammy in the front seat before putting everything in the trunk. Getting back to the front of the car he started to put the car seat in. By the time he got it in he was more than a little angry and he couldn't wait to get to Bobby's and relax.

"Alright, Sammy," Dean muttered buckling the still sleeping boy in, "Let's get back on the road."


	8. Chapter 8

Yawning loudly Dean pulled into Bobby's driveway wishing, not for the first time, that he had stopped at a motel hours ago. He had been so close to the older man's house that he had decided to simply drive the rest of the night while Sammy slept. It really was not one of his better plans.

The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon and he was sure that he was going to have to wake up Bobby so he didn't startle him when they got inside. As he climbed out of his car though the front door opened up and Bobby walked out looking as if he had been awake for hours.

Shutting the door quietly so not to wake up the little boy he walked up to his friend letting himself be pulled into a hug. It didn't last long before he was being held at arms length eagle eyes going over him before an almost disappointed sigh feel from his lips as he motioned to the car.

With a sad smile Dean pulled away from Bobby and went back to the car. Opening the door to the backseat he took in a sleeping Sammy. He looked so innocent and happy. Sleeping was really the only time that he was able to see his brother look like that anymore. At least until he was plagued by nightmares.

Dean shook his head not wanting to think of all the things that had happened to break the younger man's spirit. It wasn't as if it had been one thing that did it anyway. Sam didn't suddenly wake up one day acting as if he was a totally different person. No, it had been a very subtle change.

It had all started with the younger man picking fights with their dad. The first time that happened neither Dean nor Dad had known what to do. Sam could fight with the best of them, but he wasn't the type of person to fight without having a reason behind it. Puberty was not a good reason for any of them.

Dean had no idea what it was between Sam and their dad, but as his brother grew up he just seemed to get angrier and angrier at him. It made no sense to him and he had spent hours trying to find a way to get them to get along. In all the years they spent together he had never found a way to do so.

It wasn't as if the two men didn't love each other. They all knew that they loved each other. In the end the two were just too similar for their own good. If they ever stopped long enough to think they probably would have been a very formidable team. Too bad that never happened.

Sighing at the sudden sad thoughts he undid the buckles of Sammy's car seat and lifted him into his arms making sure to grab John as he went. A noise fell from the boy's lips as he squirmed in his arms before falling back to sleep. Say whatever about the boy, but he was a very good sleeper.

Straightening up he shut the door and made his way back to Bobby. The older man's eyes were locked on Sammy and Dean couldn't blame him. Even with all the supernatural shit in their life turning a fully grown man into a toddler was unheard of as fear as he was concerned.

"Come on," Bobby gruffly demanded training his eyes away from the boy, "Beds are all set up."

Nodding his head Dean followed the older man inside feeling more than a little shocked. Bobby was not what he'd call a clean freak, but the house looked cleaner than he had ever seen. He much have cleaned the place up so Sammy wouldn't hurt himself. It was a good thing he told the man they were coming.

They walked upstairs in silence going into the spare bedroom. Bobby left them alone once Sammy was under the covers. Dean had no idea why he left but he felt glad for it. Yawning once more he kicked off his boots and sat next to the little boy a soft smile on his face as memories filled his mind once more.

He could remember his father carrying him and Sam into the very bedroom he was in now. He'd place Sam on the bed tucking the blankets around him tightly before placing a kiss to his forehead. Then he'd lift Dean up and place him in the other bed a soft kiss on his forehead as well.

They had all learned early on that the only way to get Dean to sleep through the night was to have him be in the same room as his brother. There was nothing like being woken up by a hysterical child afraid that his worst fears were coming true. Even their dad blacked those thoughts from his mind.

Smiling sadly he stood up and went to the other bed. He knew that he should go downstairs and talk to. Bobby but all he wanted to do was fall asleep for a bit before Sammy woke up. It wasn't that he didn't want to have him out of his sight.

Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes and tried to relax into sleep. Which was a lot easier said than done. Even with how tired he was his head was moving too quickly. All he wanted was to sleep before the thoughts drove him insane. Four years old and insanity didn't end well.

Dean had no idea how long he laid there before he fell asleep, but sooner than he liked something heavy was sitting on his chest shaking him awake. His first instinct was to reach for a weapon when a soft giggle broke through his sleep addled mind. Opening his eyes he saw a smiling Sammy staring down at him.

"Dean!" Sammy called out a blinding smile on his lips, "We got to Uncle Bobby's!"

"Yes we did," Dean answered his voice rough from sleep.

"Can we go see him?"

"Of course. Then after we see him we'll find something to eat then get all our stuff from the car, okay?"

"Okay!"

Dean tried not to let out a pain filled gasp as Sammy practically jumped off his lap as he climbed off the bed. He had seen his brother do the same movement a lot as a child and he had no idea how his father had been able to deal with that. It was so painful and he couldn't even flinch.

Clearing his throat he stood up and started to follow the boy out of the room only to have him spin around and grab John from the bed. Once the stuffed dog was in his hands he smiled up at Dean and left the room. Shaking his head the hunter slowly followed the boy only to hear Sammy yell happily.

"Uncle Bobby!" Sammy laughed as the older man lifted the little boy into his arms, "Missed you."

"Missed you too, kiddo," Bobby replied a smile coming onto his lips that Dean hadn't seen in years.

It was always interesting to see just how people changed when children were around. Something that he couldn't see when he had been a kid himself. Now that he could watch Bobby talking adamantly with the boy he wondered what it would have been like to have him as a father.

Bobby was a good man and a good hunter. Not that his father wasn't. It just…Unlike their father Bobby had been hunting for a long time. He would have been a hunter long before they would have been born. Maybe he wouldn't have wanted to do so after their birth. Maybe he would have walked away from it.

"Dean!" Bobby hollered causing the hunter to jerk out of his thoughts, "You with us?"

"Yeah," Dean offered walking up to them, "What's up?"

"Eggs and bacon are on the table and there's a pot of coffee there too."

"You read my mind. Ready to eat, Sammy?"

"Yeah!" the little boy bounced in Bobby's arms his energy contagious.

The three men made their way into the kitchen and sat down. Sammy placed John on the chair to his right before turning to Dean. The hunter offered the boy a smile and started to help him make up a plate. Once he had food that was cut up enough for the boy to eat Dean turned to his own plate.

"Anyone else coming today?" Bobby questioned his eyebrow cocked.

"Who?" Sammy jumped in, his mouth stuffed with eggs.

"Chew your food," Dean reprimanded instantly, "And I'm going to call him later, Bobby. We'll go from there."

"You sure that's a good idea?" Bobby continued sipping his coffee.

"Not at all, but you can't be picky when you have no other options."

"It ain't gonna end well."

"I don't doubt that."

"Who's coming?" Sammy asked finally having swallowed his food, "Daddy and Dean?"

Dean looked over at Bobby feeling a weight on his chest. He felt as if he was letting his brother down. Even standing right next to the boy he wasn't able to keep him safe. In the end he knew that his presence was probably hurting more than helping. What was he supposed to do?

"Not yet, kiddo," Bobby started before Dean could think of anything, "Try not to worry about them right now."

"But..." Sammy tried.

"I know. It's not the easiest thing to do, but they have each other and you have us. It's going to be okay."

Hearing the way Bobby talked to the little boy Dean was sure that it wasn't the first time that the two of them had been forced to have that conversation. He hated to think of how horrible it had been having to hear the child sound so sad and not be able to do a damn thing about it.

The rest of breakfast was quiet as they finished eating. It was obvious that Sammy's mood had dropped. Something that Dean hated. There wasn't much that he could do though. Unless he magically turned into an eight year old than they'd have to deal with the little boy having a hard time.

"Dean?" Sammy softly questioned pushing the last of his food around his plate.

"Yeah, kiddo?" Dean responded hope filing his chest.

"Can we play outside?"

"Are you done eating?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Go wash up and I'll start getting our things from the car. Once everything is put away we'll go outside. Also, leave John inside. We don't want to get him dirty."

A tentative smile came to Sammy's lips as he slide out of his chair and started towards the bathroom. When he was out of the room Dean sighed and helped Bobby put the dishes in the sink. Normally he'd help the man clean up, but he wanted fresh air as much as Sammy did.

"What exactly is the plan?" Bobby asked staring at him.

"Find out exactly what got at Sam and fix it," Dean shrugged knowing it was a piss poor answer.

"And you think your angel is going to help?"

"He's not 'my angel and it's possible that he's not the only angel that's coming."

"Who else did you invite to my home?"

"Lucifer and Gabriel?"

Bobby looked like he was about to explode at him when Sammy walked back in. Letting out a deep breath he smiled at the little boy leading him outside. He knew that it was only pushing back the inevitable, but at least he was pushing it back a little.

"Dean," Sammy giggled jumping and spinning around, "It's warm."

"It is," Dean smiled happily watching the little boy.

"Love warm."

Dean knew that he had said that they'd put their things away first, but he looked so happy. Looking around Dean saw an old tennis ball and kicked it over to Sammy. The boy picked it up with an excited smile and tossed it over to Dean. Smiling back he gently tossed it back to the boy.

It had been so long since they had played toss. In truth, they didn't get to play it a lot when they were kids either. As odd as it sounded Dean was actually happy to get back to doing simple things. It was rare that they'd go long without a case. It was surprisingly nice.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who's back! I'm sorry it took awhile to write it, but this chapter was kicking my ass. I hope that I'm back to writing this story for good. I might take a break again though if I don't feel like I'm doing it justice. I hope you guys like it!
> 
> I have a list of things that I'm going to attempt to write in this story, but if there's anything you want to see tell me and I'll try to add it!
> 
> If you want to be kept up to date with redos on stories or want to know more about stories that will be started soon or even ask me to write a story for you please follow me on Facebook under SilverMidnight52! I own nothing!

Castiel walked through the abandoned building silently as he waited for Dean to call. The last thing he wanted to do was disturb Lucifer or Gabriel. He couldn't deal with hearing their fighting anymore. It was all just too much.

When he had agreed to get the two archangels he knew that it wasn't going to be easy, but he had no idea just how bad it would be. The only saving grace was that neither of them had killed anymore. At least not yet. If Dean didn't call son he didn't know if it would stay that way.

It had been three days since the hunter had been in contact. He knew that he was busy taking care of Sammy, but the hunter was aware that he had beings waiting for his call. Beings not known for their patience.

That was only half the problem though. The more time he spent sitting around waiting the more time he had to think of everything. Even the subjects that he did his best to avoid thinking of. It was hard to avoid them when the main beings were around.

Lucifer and Gabriel seemed to be the focus of just about everything recently. That was no surprise. If Sam Winchester was involved then the other two would never be that far away. It was not something Castiel understood.

There were still many things that the angel didn't understand when it came to feelings, but he didn't think anyone quite understood the archangels care for the hunter. At points in time it was as if they cared for him but at others… It made no sense.

The more he thought about it the more he realized that he didn't know them at all. Yes, he had heard many stories of them, but they always sounded off. It was as if there was a part missing from them all. He had no idea what to make of that.

Without thinking Castiel looked over at Lucifer. The fallen angel was sitting at the far left side of the building in silence. He hadn't moved since Gabriel had thrown at apple at him. That had not ended well. The two did not get along at all.

No, that wasn't right. Gabriel didn't like Lucifer and he made that clear. In every move he made and every word he said he showed how much he disliked the other being. Even in silence it was clear that he hated the devil with everything he was.

That was not the real concern though. It was the fact that Lucifer didn't react at all. He let the angel do as he pleased without lifting a finger. The only thing that showed how he felt about the situation was his eyes.

The normally blank stare was filled with what he could only describe as sadness. At least that's what it was on Sam's face. It was actually a look that he had grown used to seeing on the man. That and something else, but he hadn't been able to identify yet.

Normally he would ask the hunter what it was, but there was something about it that made him stop. He might not understand it fully but even he knew better. Which was odd. Sam had made it clear early on that he was there for Castiel if the angel needed it.

At first he had no idea what to make of the human. He had been taught that he was nothing more than the vessel of Lucifer. Then he met him. The man was nothing like what the stories had described. He was… kind.

There was a part of Castiel that felt guilty for how he treated the man when they first met. He had thought that he would run into someone that would sooner kill him than anything else. That wasn't Sam though. Maybe Dean, but not Sam.

Thinking that made him question everything that he knew about Lucifer as well. All he knew was the stories that he had heard when he was in Heaven. There was a chance, no matter how small, that they were wrong about him as well.

Castiel had no idea how he was supposed to think. He had a vague knowledge that he and the fallen angel had been in Heaven at the same time. He simply didn't have any memories of that time. In truth, he didn't remember Gabriel or Michael either. They were long gone before his first memory.

Well, that wasn't true. Michael was still in Heaven. Castiel had only met him once or twice though. They were all meetings that he would sooner forget. He was not scared often but the archangel terrified him.

"Castiel," Lucifer spoke causing the angel to flinch slightly, "How can I help you?"

"I am simply thinking," Castiel replied ready to turn and leave.

"May I ask about what?"

Blinking the angel wondered exactly what he was supposed to do. He should simply turn away and go back to waiting. Lucifer was probably expecting him to do so. It was because of that that Castiel found himself moving slightly closer.

"I am thinking of you and Sam," Castiel stated his eyes darting over the fallen angels face looking for signs of anger.

"What about us?" Lucifer questioned curiously.

"I simply do not understand the two of you. I have heard many stories of you both and I do not understand."

Lucifer slowly stood up and took a step towards Castiel. The angel found himself stepping away without thinking causing the other being to freeze. A sad smile came to his lips as he turned and moved away once more.

"You're afraid of me," Lucifer calmly said linking his hands behind his back.

"You are Lucifer," Castiel offered cocking his head to the side.

"I am. You don't remember me do you?"

"No."

The fallen angel nodded his head slowly pacing a little before turning to look at him once more. The emotions that were there before were gone. As odd as it was to think seeing emotions in the icy eyes it felt stranger to see them blank.

Castiel had never truly thought about it, but ti was possible that the being forced his face to be blank. Why would he do that though? The more he thought about the being the more confused be became about it all. He was missing something.

"You were quite young when I left," Lucifer nodded his head, "I shouldn't have expected you to."

"You sound..." Castiel started blinking a few times, "Sad?"

"I am."

"Why?"

Once more the fall angel stepped forward. Castiel forced himself to stand still when he saw that. He didn't fully understand why it felt so important to not flinch away, but it did. It wasn't as if he was going to be harmed. He hoped.

"I remember you very well, Castiel," Lucifer smiled gently, "You were a very active child. Always bouncing and talking. You hated being alone."

The angel cocked his head to the side confused. That didn't sound like him at all. He hated being the center of attention. It usually meant that he did something wrong. Anyway it was easier to simply hid away from everything unless he had to.

"You don't remember that either, do you?" Lucifer sighed.

"Do you remember anything from before the war?" Gabriel questioned causing Castiel to spin to face him, "Anything at all?"

"No," Castiel repeated, "You look sad as well. I do not understand. What did I do?"

"You did nothing. Lucifer did."

The confusion and sadness that had been in the tricksters voice were washed out by anger. Castiel stepped back and watched as the shorter being moved closer to the fallen angel. The anger and hatred was coming off him in rolls. This wasn't going to end well.

"Gabriel," Lucifer spoke staring down at him.

"You took his childhood from him," Gabriel shook his head a sarcastic smile on his lips, "You took everything from all of us. Must be so proud for you."

"I never meant for that to happen, Gabriel."

"Of course not. I doubt you gave it enough thought for that."

Silence fell over them at that. Neither archangel could tear their eyes away from the other. Though for different reasons. Gabriel still looked angry, like he would strike at any minutes. While Lucifer simply looked tired.

"What happened to you, Gabriel?" Lucifer asked walking closer to him, "You used to be so innocent. So full of wonder."

"War changes people," Gabriel spat out.

"Gabriel..."

"No!"

Hearing the angels voice break Castiel began to move to him only to stop. He had no idea what he was supposed to do to comfort someone. The most he had learned had been from Sam and Dean. Something told him clapping the angel on the back and telling him they were going to get a drink wouldn't help.

Instead he watched as Lucifer stepped closer once more and rested a hand on Gabriel's shoulder. For a moment Gabriel relaxed into the touch moving closer to the other angel. Then he snapped back as if he had been burned.

"No," Gabriel repeated his eyes narrowing, "You don't get to do that anymore. You left us. You left me."

Without giving the fallen angel a chance to speak the trickster disappeared. A voice told Castiel to go after him and make sure he came back, but then he looked at Lucifer. He looked so heartbroken in the moment that he couldn't just leave.

"Lucifer?" Castiel questioned softly.

"My apologies," the angel responded a sad smile on his lips before it faded back to looking blank, "Gabriel is angrier than I thought."

Cocking his head to the side the younger angel moved closer feeling more as if he was not about to be smited at any given moment. It was not a feeling that he would usually have around any of the archangels. They all scared him in their own right.

"You and Gabriel were close?" Castiel asked staring at the being.

"At a point in time," Lucifer answered moving to sit on a crate, "I don't think he remembers the good times."

"The good times?"

"You were too young to stat, but we used to have lessons everyday. Father thought that there were things that every being should know."

"You were his teacher?"

A small smile came to the fallen angels lips at that. For a moment the looked at peace in everything. Slowly his face fell though. It was as if the thoughts that once brought him happiness only hurt now.

It was odd but the longer he spent with the being the more he thought of him as another angel and not the devil. Whenever he was brought up in Heaven it was as if he was different species. Based off the stories you'd never know he was an angel.

"A teacher," Lucifer repeated sounding amused, "No, I was not Gabriel's teacher. He was simply my little brother. My studies took up much of my time. Something he didn't like all that much."

"Why?" Castiel asked moving so he was sitting next to the archangel.

"He used to love spending time with me. He'd follow me and asked me to tell him everything that I had learned that day. He was like a sponge."

A gentle yet sad smile came to Lucifer's lips as he spoke. Castiel had heard that tone of voice before. When Dean was talking about Sam. The younger hunter said that that was love and fondness. Dean cared for Sam and Lucifer cared for Gabriel.

Caring was not an emotion that was often associated with the fallen angel, but that was exactly what Castiel saw. He truly did love not only Gabriel but Sam as well. At least that's what he could only guess.

A voice sounding surprisingly like Dean told him to reign his emotions in. There was no way to truly know if he was seeing the truth. Lucifer was a good actor. There was a chance that he had a plan and needed Castiel to fall for it.

Still, a part of the angel wanted to believe in the other being and he didn't know why. He was the devil himself. There was no good in him anymore according to the stories. If there ever had been any. No on knew for sure.

"I remember you doing the same with Balthazar," Lucifer smirked in amusement looking at him.

"Balthazar?" Castiel questioned confused staring at nothing, "Why would I follow him?"

Any amusement that had been on the fallen angels face was hid away as his eyes dropped to the floor. Castiel had caused him to look like that and he had no idea what he had done. He hated emotions sometimes. They were different to get a hold on.

"War changes people," Lucifer whispered before standing up.

Watching the being take a few steps away Castiel found himself following. There was no reason for him to do so, but he wanted to stay close to the fallen angel. As odd as it sounded he was the only one that was making any sense.

That wasn't exactly right. It wasn't that he was making sense it was that he was the only one that wasn't angry. He was being surprisingly calm about it all. This was the first time that he knew he was looking at his brother.

"Lucifer," Castiel started before stopping to take a deep breath, "Brother."

The fallen angel slowly turned around to face him. He looked so confused for a moment as he moved closer to him. When they were toe to toe Lucifer reached up and placed a hand on the side of his face and smiled sadly.

"Brother," Lucifer whispered, "We do not have to fight. You do not belong in this fight. Michael and I started it and we should be the one to end it."

"This fight is between us all," Castiel shook his head.

"It shouldn't be. Please, Castiel, there is still time. You can leave. Leave this for he and I."

"I can not leave the Winchester's."

"This is their fate."

"I am sorry, Lucifer. I care for the Winchester's. They are my friends. I will not leave them to face this alone."

Pulling away the fallen angel nodded to himself as he walked away. The angel had no idea what he was thinking. In truth, he was a little afraid of what he was going to say. He was kind now, but that might not stay that way.

"Why do you protect them?" Lucifer asked turning back to him.

"Father..." Castiel started to say.

"I don't want to know what Father would say or want in this moment, Castiel. I want to hear what you believe. I want to know what you think of everything that has been going on right now."

Looking at the ground Castiel tried to gather his thoughts. Even though he had been thinking of the situation he had no idea what it was he was thinking. Everything was a jumbled mess that he could barely understand himself.

"I..." Castiel tried before stopping to find his words, "I do not know what I think. I had thought that I knew what went on here on Earth. I had thought I understood the war."

"Then you came here and met the Winchester's," Lucifer nodded his head.

"I did. They are nothing like what I was taught. They are good men. I have grown attached to them."

Lucifer nodded his head looking as if he had heard exactly what he had expected. It was not all that surprising. The fallen angel was older than him and though he didn't like the human race he knew more.

"I am sorry, Castiel," Lucifer sighed taking a seat once more.

"For what?" the angel questioned cocking his head to the side.

"You are a child. You don't understand any of this."

"I am learning."

"You believe that Sam and Dean can change their destiny."

"If anyone can change their destiny it is those two."

"And if they do change it? What then?"

"Then the war is over. None of us have to fight anymore."

"The war will happen, Castiel. There is nothing that will change that."

"Of course there is, Lucifer. Father gave us all freewill. If you chose not to fight than it is over."

Lucifer offered a smile to Castiel before moving to embrace the smaller angel. Instantly he stiffened ready to fight. The fallen angel did not hug and the other angel did not really get touched very often.

"I am sorry, Castiel," Lucifer offered pulling away.

"I want peace, Lucifer," he responded his voice soft but firm, "I believe we will get peace."

"I hope for your safe you're right."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question time! When the story comes to an end would you like to see Sammy stay a babe or turn into his adult self?
> 
> I have a list of things that I'm going to attempt to write in this story, but if there's anything you want to see tell me and I'll try to add it!
> 
> If you want to be kept up to date with redos on stories or want to know more about stories that will be started soon or even ask me to write a story for you please follow me on Facebook under SilverMidnight52! I own nothing!

Putting his phone down Dean turned to leave the kitchen only to come face to face with the angel he had just been on the phone with. He opened his mouth to tell him to wear a bell when his eyes were pulled to the being that was standing behind his friend. Instantly his hand moved to the knife on the counter.

Cass had told him that he believed that neither Lucifer or Gabriel had anything to do with what happened to his brother. That might be true but that didn't mean that he trusted them. He'd never trust him. Which was why Sammy was with Bobby instead of him.

He hated the idea of not having the boy close to him, but he had to make sure that Cass was right. Until he was sure that Lucifer and Gabriel weren't there to harm him Sammy was going to be safe from the archangels. Speaking of archangels.

"Where's Gabriel?" Dean questioned looking around as if he was going to pop out of nowhere.

His friend looked over at the fallen angel causing Dean to roll his eyes. Of course he wasn't there because of him. He couldn't really blame the being. The last thing he wanted to do was be around Lucifer either. He had no choice though.

"He will come," Lucifer spoke his eyes slowly tracing over the room, "Where is Sam?"

"Safe," Dean responded with a glare, "I'll get him later."

A teasing smirk came to the fallen angel's lips as he moved closer to the hunter. Gripping the knife tightly he readied himself to fight. He opened his mouth to tell the being off when a loud, happy scream came from outside. Maybe he should have sent them further than out in the junkyard.

In that moment it was as if everything about Lucifer changed. He pulled away from the hunter and disappeared. Cursing softly he moved quickly so he was outside his eyes searching wildly for the devil hoping to find him before he found his brother.

It didn't take long to see the being standing a few feet from the front door. Moving to the fallen angels side he gripped his arm tightly ready to pull him inside when he heart laughter. Turning his head he saw Sammy tossing John in the air before running around trying to catch him.

"Sam," Lucifer whispered his voice full of wonder.

Though Dean could barely hear the fallen angel Sammy decided to look over at that moment. He knew that it was nothing more than a coincidence, but it felt as if it meant more. He never should have let Lucifer come. It wasn't going to end well.

"Dean?" Sammy questioned hugging his toy to his chest.

"Hey, Sammy," the older man smiled calmly not wanting to frighten the little boy, "Having fun with Uncle Bobby?"

"Yeah."

Dean hated how timid his brother sounded right then though at the same time he was glad for it. If he felt like this around the being than maybe it would stay that way. It might b the only way to get rid of whatever hold the fallen angel had on his brother.

"Mr. Cass!" Sammy suddenly yelled rushing past them and throwing his arms around the angels legs, "Hi!"

"Hello, Sammy," Cass greeted sounding slightly confused by the boys actions, "How have you been doing?"

"Good! Me and Dean and Uncle Bobby have had lots of fun. Look! Dean got me a puppy! His name is John. Like Daddy! Say hi to Mr. Cass, John!"

A soft smile came to Dean's lips as he listened to the boy talk. He was so excited and sweet. All he wanted to do was bottle the feeling. His brother was going to need it when he was back to his adult self.

"Do you want to play, Mr. Cass?" Sammy asked though he was already pulling the angel towards the yard.

"Actually," Dean interrupted stepping forward, "We have to do something first. Okay?"

The little boy looked like he was going to argue but then his eyes darted to Lucifer. Nodding his head he moved closer to Cass even though his eyes never left the fallen angel. He looked so curious. Like he was drawn to the being even as he felt afraid of him. It was a look he was used to seeing.

Every time he saw it all he wanted to do was lock his brother away just to keep him safe. He couldn't risk having the being get into Sam's mind anymore than he already was. And he was in his brother's mind no matter how he fought it and he did attempt to fight.

At least Dean hoped he did. There were points in time that he questioned exactly what the younger man was thinking. It was as if he was trying to decide what he was going to do. That should never be an issue. No matter what happened he had to fight Lucifer. It was the only thing keeping them from falling apart.

It wasn't as if it was that hard to fight the pull of an archangel. He did so every time he was around Michael. Though a part of Dean wondered if the situation was different. Yeah, he could feel the power the angel had when he was around, but it was nothing like what went on between Sam and Lucifer.

He hated to think it, but he knew that if he and Sam hadn't been hunting together his brother would have given almost instantly. The only thing that was stopping Lucifer from taking complete control over his brother was him. Wasn't that a pleasant thought to have.

No, deep down a part of his brother was always going to be drawn to Lucifer. In just what way Dean was afraid to ask, but it changed nothing. Sam was never going to be completely safe now that he knew the fallen angel. They could never undo the damage that he had caused them.

"Dean?" Cass spoke up interrupting his thoughts.

"What?" the hunter asked turning towards them, "Sorry. Sammy, I want to introduce you to Lucifer."

A gasp fell from Sammy's lips his eyes darting up to Castiel. Fear was clear in the beautiful hazel eyes and for a moment Dean had no idea what was going on in the boy's head. That was when he remembered how he reacted to hearing the name before.

"Mr. Cass?" Sammy whispered his hand coming up to hold onto the angel's trench coat.

"It is alright, Sammy," Castiel assured the boy his eyes locking onto Lucifer, "Lucifer is not going to harm anyone."

Blinking a few times the boy finally tore his gaze fro the angel and looked at Lucifer. He shakily took a few steps forward until he was standing almost toe to toe with the fallen angel. He looked so afraid as he stared up at the being, but he didn't move.

"H-Hi," Sammy stuttered out clenching his toy so hard Dean was afraid it was going to tear.

"Hello, Samuel," Lucifer greeted dropping to his knees gracefully, "It is a pleasure to meet you again."

Ever so slowly a shy smile came to the child's lips. Just like that the distrust and fear that he been in his eyes was washed away. A pat of Dean wished that he had kept that fear even though he knew it was better that he didn't. A child shouldn't be afraid.

"Do you know who I am?" Lucifer questioned his voice almost musical.

"Lucifer," Sammy replied his body starting to twist as he stood there.

"Have you heard of me before?"

"No."

Lucifer nodded his head before he reached out and rested a hand on Sammy's. Every part of Dean was demanding that he tear the fallen angel from the boy. He couldn't though. Not without having his brother question his motives. He couldn't do that to the boy.

Then a giggle fell from Sammy's lips. He sounded so happy and at peace. Which was something that should have warmed his heart and it did. To a degree. The fact that it was Lucifer making him sound like that got to him. It was just wrong.

"You're warm," Sammy grinned moving closer to the fallen angel.

"I am?" Lucifer questioned his hand looking as if it was going to pull back.

"No. You're..."

Sammy trailed off his head cocking to the side in confusion. His hand reached up to rest on the side of the devil's face. Dean felt his heat speed up at the situation. He shouldn't have let him around his brother. He should have known that this was going to happen.

"Warm and cold," Sammy whispered before yawning.

"I burn cold," Lucifer replied his voice even softer.

Without a word Sammy moved forward so he was curled against the fallen angel's chest. He looked so at peace as the being wrapped his arms around his brother and stood up. That should not look as natural as it did. Lucifer should not be holding his brother at all!

"Burn cold," Sammy repeated his eyes sliding close.

"Sammy," Dean finally spoke up not able to stand seeing the boy in Lucifer's arms, "Why don't I put you down for a nap?"

The hazel eyes slowly opened once more. Dean began to open his arm to take the boy only for him to move closer to Lucifer. Feeling his heart drop at the sight the hunter forced his anger away. If Sammy wanted the fallen angel than there was nothing he could do to get him away. Not without breaking his heart.

"Lucifer?" Sammy asked yawning once more.

"Yes?" the fallen angel responded staring down at him.

"Come with me?"

"Of course, Sammy. Whatever you wish."

Dean watched as the fallen angel calmly turned away and went inside. He could hear Lucifer's voice as he left though he couldn't understand what he said. It didn't matter. All he knew was that he had just lost his little brother to the one person he'd been fighting.

"Dean," Cass started stepping forward, "I do not believe that Lucifer will..."

"Don't. Not now. Just..." Dean interrupted raising his hand, "Go watch them. Don't let Sammy out of your sight."

Castiel opened his mouth to argue, but then he simply nodded before turning himself. Once he heard the front door close Dean finally let his anger go. Picking up the first object he could he threw it aiming to cause as much damage as possible.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question time! When the end of the story comes would you like to see Sammy stay a babe or turn back into his adult self?
> 
> I have a list of things that I'm going to attempt to write in this story, but if there's anything you want to see tell me and I'll try to add it!
> 
> If you want to be kept up to date with redos on stories or want to know more about stories that will be started soon or even ask me to write a story for you please follow me on Facebook under SilverMidnight52! I own nothing!

Brushing back brown hair Lucifer found himself staring down at his vessel falling even more in love with every moment. He was the most beautiful creature that he had ever seen and now he was holding him. How could he be so lucky?

Ever since he had been cast out of Heaven he had been dreaming of the moment he'd be able to be with the human. It was one of the few things that had kept him sane while he was in the cage. It was the most amazing thing he had ever experienced.

At last it should have been. He had heard many stories from his demons on the type of person Sam was. He knew just how strong and tenderhearted the man was. He knew every little detail that came with him.

He had thought that he had known what to expect when he first met his vessel. Then he actually did and after all the time he spent thinking of their meeting he had never imagined who Sam truly was. He never dreamed of how pure he was.

When he finally was free he had thought it would be easy to get the human to say yes. Even with him being a hunter the draw that one felt to their angel was strong, especially the draw of an archangel. It should have been too much.

Yet Sam fought him with everything that he was. Something that Lucifer was actually proud of. Not that he'd admit it out loud. The fight that was in the human just made the idea of having him all the sweeter.

And that was exactly what he was going to do. Both he and Sam knew that. The fallen angel had a feeling that that was exactly why the hunter fought as hard as he did. He wanted to give into him and he hated that feeling.

That was the thing that he hated about the situation. The last thing that he wanted to do was cause the human more harm than he already had. He was something that he knew he had caused the boy on more than one occasion.

He had known, counted on really, that his vessel would feel something towards him. What he hadn't though of was him returning said feelings. He was Lucifer. He would never allow himself to fall for a human. Even if said human was made for him.

Sam Winchester was special. And now he was in his arms. It would be so simple to leave. No one would be able to stop him and he'd finally have the one thing he wanted. For some reason, that he didn't want to leave about, he didn't.

Before he could think any further though the little boy squirmed in him arms. Icy blue eyes stared down at Sammy watching as he curled closer to his chest. Then the beautiful hazel eyes blinked up at him a sleepy smile coming to the boys lips.

"Warm," Sammy muttered cuddling closer to him again.

A chuckle fell form the fallen angel at that. He had never thought that someone would describe him as warm. He didn't even describe himself as warm. His lovely little vessel was absolutely perfect for him.

"Hello, Sammy," Lucifer greeted his hand moving so it was rubbing across his back, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah."

Hearing the soft reply Lucifer couldn't help but smile at him. Bending down he placed a kiss to the boys fore head causing him to giggle. He was so sweet and the angel was never going to let him out of his life again.

They fell into silence after that and all Lucifer could do was watch as Sammy slowly became aware of his surroundings. He was afraid that the boy would climb out of his arms and go to find Dean. That he would be alone once more, but that didn't happen.

Instead he simply watched him back. All he knew about children, which was almost nothing, told him that they didn't do things like this. They were never still. Yet it seemed as if there was no place that he'd rater be than Lucifer's arms.

A voice in the back of his mind told the angel that he was getting too attached. He was never meant to care for him. In his mind he cursed his Father once more for doing this to him. He was supposed to be strong, to be better, but he found himself willing to kneel for his vessel.

He had no idea when exactly it was that he had figured out that he loved the human. It was the day that everything that he had been planning changed though. Not because he no longer wanted them. No, because Sam was more important.

There was no port of the hunter that he did not love and care for. That included his childhood self. Not in the same way that he cared for him as an adult, but he cared none the less. There was nothing that would ever change those feelings.

Which was something that he had learned the hard way. The hard way of course involving him actually causing Sam harm. He had never hated himself more than when he had caused the man to break ever so slightly. It was simply wrong.

"Lucifer?" Sammy questioned dragging him from his thoughts, "Is it lunch time?"

"Not yet," Lucifer replied not fully knowing if he was right, "Dean will come where it is."

"Okay."

That was when he decided to climb out of the fallen angel's lap. A small part of Lucifer demanded that he pick the boy up once more. If Sammy thought he was warm than he had no idea how he felt himself. It was perfectly peaceful.

He didn't move far before he turned back to him and offered his head. Hazel eyes were filled with such trust that without meaning to the angel swore to himself that he'd do whatever it took to keep the boy from falling. He had to keep him safe.

Reaching out he slipped his hand into the boy and let himself be pulled to his feet. Once he was on his feet he was lead over to the table in the center of the room. A handful of toy soldiers had been placed out for him to play with.

"Will you play with me?" Sammy asked staring up at him with hopeful eyes.

Those eyes were going to be the death of him. They were so expressive and he had no idea. Neither as a child or as an adult. He had no idea just what kind of power he had over Lucifer. That was probably a good thing.

"Of course," Lucifer agreed before moving to sit on the floor.

When they were both on the floor Sammy started to explain the game of war. It seemed that he thought that Lucifer wouldn't know. Oh how he wished that he was true. How he wished that things had been different in the end.

"And this is the most important soldier," Sammy explained pushing the toy into his face, "The doctor. He can save anyone, but he can't get hurt or you lose. You have to keep him safe, Lucifer. Okay?"

With a nod of his head the game began. It probably shouldn't have surprised him that the most important soldier to the boy was the doctor. For as much as he fought and killed he never left someone if he knew that they needed him.

It was something that he both despised and was proud of in the hunter. If he didn't care for humanity the way he did he would have said yes. Yet after everything that he had been through he still say the good in the world. Even when it quit seeing it in him.

Lucifer felt his blood boil at that. Same cared deeply for everyone, including those that did him harm, and that was how he repaid him? They did everything they could to tear him down and he took it. He thought he deserved it.

"Lucifer," Sammy started out for nowhere.

"Yes," Lucifer prompted putting the toy he was holding down.

"Do you think my brother and daddy are coming back?"

Blinking a few times the fallen angel cocked his head to the side. He could not lie to the boy. He could lead him in a direction though and hope that he wasn't going to cause more harm than good that way.

"Do you believe they will?" Lucifer questioned watching the boy closely.

"Dean said they would," Sammy answered pushing one of the toys over.

"But?"

A sigh fell from the boys lips as he pushed another toy down. He looked so down trotted as his mind worked overtime. That was his Sam though. As a child or as an adult he always over thought things.

"I want Dean," Sammy finally said his soft voice filled with such pain and anger.

"I believe Dean is outside," Lucifer offered though he knew that wasn't what the boy meant.

"No! I want my Dean! I want my big brother!"

Lucifer watched with sad eyes as his vessel broke down crying. He was not good with tears. At least not anymore. There had been a time when he was the angel his brothers went to if they needed something. Now he was only the cause of tears.

As he stared at the boy he realized just how much he looked like Gabriel at that age. A little small for his age, but with a mind that could take down anymore and an imagination that never quit running. It brought a smile to his face for a moment.

Without thinking Lucifer stood up and moved to Sammy's side before lifting him into his arms. It was a move that he had done many time with his own brother. That had been so long ago now it was almost like a dream.

As soon as he was in his arms the little boy buried his face in his neck a sob falling from his lips. He hung on so tightly to the fallen angel as he started to walk around the room attempting to calm him down. Sobs always broke his heart.

He had no idea how long he ended up pacing before Sammy finally calmed down, but he could feel eyes on his back. It wasn't difficult to figure out that it was Castiel in the shadows. He paid him no mind.

"I am sorry, Sammy," Lucifer muttered pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"I want De," Sammy cried his voice muffled by the angel's shoulder.

Not knowing what to do Lucifer found himself rubbing the boy's back as he swayed int hat spot. It was what he had done with Gabriel as well. Something he never got the chance to do with any of his other brothers though.

"Did you know I have an older brother as well?" Lucifer asked not fully understanding why he was opening up to the boy.

"You do?" Sammy said pulling his head away and wiping his nose on his sleeve.

"His name is Michael and I loved him very deeply. We were the best of friends. I would have don anything for him. At least I thought that."

Icy blue eyes looked away from Sammy as he got lost in thought. He truly had thought that he and Michael had been close, but he had done what their father had asked without thought. He had always done without thinking.

For as long as he could remember his brother simply did whatever was asked of him. It wasn't as if he could say anything as he had been the same way. Father could do no wrong in any of their eyes. Then everything changed.

Lucifer had never thought that not listening to Father would end in such a way. It wasn't as if he ever had to interact with humanity. He could leave them in peace and with all the angels knowing his hatred he'd be left alone. That didn't happen.

To this day he still had no idea why that had blown up in his face the way it did, but he knew that there was no going back. The war had broken too much for anyone to feel as they had before. It would never be the same.

A small hand rested on the side of his face dragging him from his thoughts. Looking down at the little boy the fallen angel saw the worry in his eyes. Offering a sad smile he took hold of the hand and placed a gentle kiss to it.

"You're sad," Sammy stated softly.

"I am," Lucifer agreed with a nod of his head.

"Because of Michael?"

"Yes, I miss my family very much."

Throwing his arms around the fallen angel's neck Sammy placed a sloppy kiss to his cheek. Lucifer couldn't help but chuckle at that a real smile coming to his lips. His vessel knew exactly what he needed.

"I know!" Sammy suddenly yelled pulling back, "Dean can be your big brother too. He's the best. You'd love him."

"Thank you for the offer," Lucifer smiled knowing the last thing Dean would do is be his 'big brother', "But I believe I will simply be an older brother myself."

Hazel eyes suddenly got wide at that a soft gasp falling from his lips. It was as if he had told the boy he was God. If there was any doubt in his mind on how much Sammy loved his older brother it would have been gone.

"You're a big brother?" Sammy whispered his voice full of amazement.

"I am," Lucifer smiled before looking towards where he knew Castiel stood, "Though I must admit I am not very good at it yet. I am trying though."

"I can help teach you! I know all the things a big brother should do."

Before Lucifer could respond the feeling of being watched was gone. A part of him fell at that. He had hoped that he would be able to get a small part of his family back. It seemed that Castiel didn't want it anymore than Gabriel.

"I appreciate the offer," Lucifer said looking down at the boy, "But I don't believe that my brother's want me."

"I want you, Lucifer," Sammy offered shyly hugging him once more, "I'll be your little brother."


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question time! When the end of the story comes would you like to see Sammy stay a babe or turn back into his adult self?
> 
> I have a list of things that I'm going to attempt to write in this story, but if there's anything you want to see tell me and I'll try to add it!
> 
> If you want to be kept up to date with redos on stories or want to know more about stories that will be started soon or even ask me to write a story for you please follow me on Facebook under SilverMidnight52! I own nothing!

Castiel stood outside watching the sunrise over the junkyard. For a moment everything around him was at peace and he wished that it would stay that way. He had learned that the peace never stayed for long though. If you ever got it to begin with.

The small moments he did get he treasured above all else. At first they had simply been watching the sun rise and set. Then it was watching the flowers bloom and the leave change color. And watching rivers run always brought a smile to his lips. They were perfect.

For awhile that was all that he noticed of the world around him. Until one day he found himself sitting on a bench in a park and a small child ran up to him. She couldn't have been more than six years old and she had a black eye.

Somehow she was smiling though. She was completely at peace in everything that was going on in her life. There should have been so much pain there, but there wasn't an ounce. It was like nothing that he had ever seen.

They stared at each other in complete silence for awhile. Normally he'd know the exact time that had passed, but there was something about the dark brown eyes that drew him in and refused to leave. At least not until she did.

And leave she did. Not before hugging him though. It made no sense at all, but in that little bit of time he felt as if he had been given a gift. After that he had began to pay attention to the world around him. Pay attention to the humans.

He had never been more confused and drawn to something in his life. Humanity was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen and he was so happy that he got to watch up close. Usually. There were some things that he would rather never see again.

Sadly, he had found that that feeling was not just for humans. There were some rules in Heaven that he had always had a hard time believing in. Especially when he was told that it was for the greater good. So much pain for the greater good.

Tearing his eyes away from the sunrise he started at the ground. His mind raced with all the things that he had seen done in the name of the greater good, in the name of his Father. All the things that he had been told to do to help bring peace to the world.

He couldn't see it that way anymore. Not if he was honest with himself. It was something that he hated himself for. He should not have been so blind to all the things going on in the world that he had been meant to be protective, loving. Yet he was.

Somehow Lucifer being around brought all those thoughts of failure to the surface. It was as if he could see through everything that the younger angel was. He could see the truth and that scared him more than he could imagine.

"Cass," Dean greeted causing the angel to spin around ready to fight, "Woah! Down boy! It's just me."

"Dean," Castiel said being looking at the ground once more feeling shamed, "My apologizes."

"It's fine. Should know better than to sneak up on a sleeping angel. I thought you heard the door. You were pretty lost in thought there, buddy."

"I was."

The pair fell into silence after that. Castiel had no idea what the hunter was waiting for. Then a hand rested on his shoulder. His head darted up at the feeling. It wasn't that Dean didn't touch him, but he normally shied away from physical contact with anyone but his brother.

Every time they did touch though it was as if a warmth had taken place in him. He felt as if he belonged. At least for that moment. The hunter would pull back soon. Everything would go back to how it was. Everything would start again.

"So," Dean started pulling away and taking a step back, "I was thinking. It's been- Ha. It's been almost a month since Sammy was turned."

"It has," Castiel nodded his head in agreement.

"And we have nothing."

"No. I am sorry, Dean. I have been-"

"I'm not blaming you, Cass. I know you're working on this. We all are. I was thinking that we need a break."

"A break?"

"Yeah, a break."

"You hate breaks."

A soft snort left the hunter at that causing Castiel to smile. It was something that the man rarely did, but he sounded so human. It was something that the angel loved to hear. Dean was one of the human people that he knew.

"Okay, so I fell as if I'm going to commit murder if I stay still any longer. So does Sammy," Dean attempted to justify hiding a grin, "When he's awake we're going to go to the mall."

"I will stay here and..."

"You will come out with us. Look, Lucifer is going to go see if he can find anything out below and Bobby's going through the books. We're not stopping. We're stretching our legs."

Castiel opened his mouth to argue that he'd be better at researching, but Dean had already turned his back and started inside. He knew that he could simply ignore the man and work, but the angel felt a bit excited for the day.

He found that he did quite enjoy spending time with the newly deaged boy. Sammy was so similar yet so far away from his adult counterpart. Though there was a part of him that wondered if that was true.

The little boy was the adult he knew. He was still sweet and caring to all. He still had a smile that would light up a room. He still was fiercely protective. He simply no longer cared the same weight that he had as an adult. He was free.

It was odd to see, but at the same time Castiel felt a small amount of happiness for it. If there was anyone who deserved to have the freedom that came with being a child it was Sam and dean. They had been through so much.

Even with that knowledge thought the angel knew it wouldn't work on Dean. He was a natural born caregiver, protector. If he didn't have his brother to take care of then Castiel was unsure if he would even been Dean Winchester anymore.

Castiel was brought out of his thoughts by childish laughter in the house. Sammy was awake and ready for the day. Bobby had told him that the boy was always awake with the sunrise. He had yet to fail at that. Much to Dean's chagrin.

"Mr. Cass!" Sammy yelled running out the door with Dean just behind him, "Are you excited?"

Small but stronger arms wrapped around his waist and he couldn't help but smile. The boy was so open to the world around him. It was only something that he saw in children. It was complete and pure innocence of the heart.

A soft voice in the back of his head questioned why he was still 'Mr. Cass'. He was the only one that he did that with. If he had been older the angel would have thought it was because he didn't like him. He knew that wasn't it though.

He knew that he could simply ask the boy why he did that, but a part of him was afraid of the answer. The two of them did not have the same relationship he had with Dean. Of course, childhood would not change that.

It wasn't as if he didn't try with the younger hunter. Once he realized that he was nothing like he had been told he tried to get along with him. He had always feared that the damage from how he had treated Sam at first would not be forgiven.

Castiel was beginning to figure out that he was wrong about that as well. Since the very start he had underestimated Sam. He needed to get out of that habit. They were friends and he had to remember that.

The truth was that he wanted not just Sam but Sammy to like him. After all the time that he had been around the boy he still felt awkward. Like he didn't belong as part of the little family that he had made with Dean and Lucifer.

"Are you listening, Mr. Cass?" Sammy questioned tugging on the angel's hand.

"My apologizes," Castiel replied moving to squat in front of the boy, "What did you say?"

"I asked if you were excited. Dean said we're going to the mall after we eat."

"I am excited. I have not been to a mall before."

"You've never been to a mall?"

The little boy looked so shocked as he looked between he and dean. Castiel knew that the mall was an experience that most humans knew. So far none of the missions that he had gone out on had brought him to the shopping place.

"Well, that's about to change," Dean cut in with a smile, "Come on, Sammy. Let's go get dressed and eat some breakfast. I think I saw Uncle Bobby bringing out his waffle maker. We'll leave in about two hours, Cass."

Blue eyes watched closely as the hunter picked up the little boy and took him inside. It was so odd to see the man holding a child, but ti was as if he had been doing it his whole life. Which, thinking about it, he had been. He was born to be a father.

It saddened the angel that the man would never have a chance to know. He knew that Sam had shared in that sadness. He had practically been raised by this older brother. He knew exactly the type of man that he was and that he could be.

Maybe Sam being turned into a child wasn't as bad as he had first thought. Not only was a man who carried the weight of the world finally at peace, but a man who loved to take care of his brother finally could do so fully.

Of course Castiel knew there were a few points that he disliked about the situation. Most of said points involved Lucifer. He adored his brother though. As long as Sammy wanted the fallen angel and he did nothing to harm the boy he was welcome. In the looses sense.

Still, none of that mattered. The angel knew that he couldn't let himself get caught up in those thoughts. Sammy was meant to be an adult and, as much as he wished it wasn't so, he had to keep looking for a way to change him back. If there was one.

That idea scared Castiel. While he knew that seeing little Sammy had brought out a different side in all of them they needed Sam. He kept them all from simply losing themselves. He was the one that saw the good in the world and even in the monsters. He was their heart.

A sigh fell from the angels lips as his eyes turned skyward. There were so many things that were running through his mind and with every passing second of having no answers to them he felt like a failure to the people he cared for.

All too soon Sammy and Dean were walking out of the house. The boy stopped by Castiel and offered him his hand. Blue eyes darted to green and he saw the hunter smiling gently. He looked nothing like the war hardened soul that he was.

Linking his hand with Sammy's he let himself be pulled to the car. The space was filled with non-stop talking from the boy. Periodically Dean would hum softly though Castiel wasn't sure that he was taking in a word that he said. Sammy didn't seem to care.

It wasn't until they got to the mall that the boy fell silent. For as excited as he had been to go to the mall he suddenly seemed nervous. Something that Dean seemed to already know if the comforting smile on his lips was anything to go by.

"Don't worry, Sammy," Dean offered turning to look at him, "We got you."

"You-You'll carry me again?" Sammy whispered shyly.

Castiel felt his chest tighten hearing the boy sound so fearful. No child should ever sound like that. Especially since it was something as simple as walking through the mall. It was heartbreaking to see that and be able to do nothing.

"Of course, kiddo," Dean grinned reaching out to brush the boys hair away from his face, "I got you."

A brilliant smile came to the boys lips at that. Smiling back Dean climbed out of the car and got Sammy out of his seat. It took a second before the boy was comfortable in the hunter's arms. Then he turned to Castiel.

"Ready?" Dean asked bouncing the boy in his arms.

"I am," Castiel replied his eyes darting around looking for any threats.

"If you're scared, Mr. Cass, Dean can hold your hand," Sammy popped in looking between them, "He's the best."

Castiel's eyes went a little wide as he looked up at Dean. He had the same look. Clearing his throat he shook his head and started towards the front door. People were everywhere and for a moment the angel wanted to tell the humans he wanted to leave.

Then he remembered how excited Sammy was. The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint him. Steeling himself he opened the door for Dean to walk through. If he thought outside of the mall was busy he had no idea how to describe the inside.

Dean took control leading the man through the mall until they got to the bookstore. A happy laugh fell from Sammy's lips as he started to point to one of the displays. Grinning the men walked over and started to look through it.

A content smile bloomed on the angel's face as he listened to the boy talk. He could barely understand what was being said with how fast he was talking, but the love was clear. Sammy still had the same amount of passion he always did.

"Cass," Dean said turning to him, "Can you hold Sammy?"

"What?" Castiel questioned his heart racing.

"You'll be fine and I'll be right back. Pick out some good books for us to read together, Sammy."

Before Cass could say anything else Sammy was in his arms and the hunter was walking away. Blinking a few times the angel stared down at the little boy in his arms having no idea what he was supposed to be doing.

"Do you think they have books on puppies, Mr. Cass?" Sammy asked looking back up at him unaware of the turmoil in the angel's head.

"I do not know," Castiel answered trying to appear calm.

"We should look."

Nodding his head the angel began to walk around looking for books for the boy. At least he was trying to. He continued to be distracted by the weight of Sammy. It felt so odd to be carrying someone so small, so fragile.

It was always in the back of his head how easily he would be able to kill the human race. A flick of his wrist and he could destroy them. Yet he had learned that they were so much stronger than him in so many ways as well.

The boy in his arms was the perfect example of that. He had had all of Heaven and Hell after him since before he was born. It should have been enough to break him. Still, he had the biggest heart of any being that he had met.

Castiel was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice Sammy stiffen suddenly. It wasn't until small hands began to tug urgently on his coat that he looked down. Then he saw hazel eyes staring up at him fear clear in them.

"Sammy?" Castiel asked on alert instantly, "What is wrong?"

A fearful whimper escaped his lips instead of words. Looking around the angel tried to find what could be scaring the boy, but the only thing he could find were humans. Then Dean came into his vision.

"Dean," he called watching the man go into hunter mode.

"What?" Dean questioned storming over his eyes locked on his brother, "What's wrong?"

"I- I do not-"

"Daddy!" Sammy sobbed throwing his arms around the hunter's neck.

A surprised groan was punched out of Dean as he took the boy's weight on. Eagle eyes darted around before coming to stop on something. Lips setting in a grim line he grabbed Castiel by the arms and quickly led them out of the store and to the Impala.

Castiel watched as the human comforted his brother. He still had no idea what had happened, but he felt horrible. He had been left in charge of the boy and this had happened. He had failed to take care of him again.

Staring at the ground he tried not to focus on anything, but all he could hear were the boys sobs. How did people deal with that? He had felt his heart break just at the first sight of fear in Sammy's eyes, but it shattered hearing that noise.

"Cass," Dean offered placing a hand on his shoulder causing him to spin around, "Hey! It's just me."

Looking around he saw that Sammy was fast asleep in his car seat. When he was sure that he was fine he looked back at Dean just in time to see the man hide a sad smile. How was he not telling Castiel to leave?

"I'm sorry," the angel offered dropping his eyes again.

"Sorry?" Dean repeated confused, "It wasn't your fault."

"Dean."

"Do you know why Sammy was scared? Why he started to cry?"

"No. I could not figure it out."

"He saw a clown, Cass. That was it. There was nothing you could have done. He would have cried if I was there too."

"If I-"

"Nothing you could have done. Things happen to kids. It sucks, but it happens. There was nothing anyone could have done. So stop blaming yourself for it. No one else is."

"Children are fragile."

"They're stronger than adults. Now come on. Let's get back to Bobby's. I think that's enough excitement for the day. We'll try again later."


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question time! When the end of the story comes would you like to see Sammy stay a babe or turn back into his adult self?
> 
> I have a list of things that I'm going to attempt to write in this story, but if there's anything you want to see tell me and I'll try to add it!
> 
> If you want to be kept up to date with redos on stories or want to know more about stories that will be started soon or even ask me to write a story for you please follow me on Facebook under SilverMidnight52! I own nothing!

A giggle left Sammy's lips as his feet hit the ground and he took off running again. Dean had taken him out to the park that day so he could run around. The boy loved playing at Uncle Bobby's but the park had a slide!

Most of the park was empty since it looked like there was a storm coming. He didn't mind playing alone though. He did it a lot when Dean had to spend time with Daddy. Anyway, he had John so he wasn't completely alone.

And then there was Dean. He was sitting at one of the picnic tables talking on the phone with someone. He had said that he was going to come play with him as soon as he was done. Daddy had said that a lot too.

Climbing up the ladder to go down the slide once more Sammy looked over the empty park. He knew that it was silly, but he hoped that he'd see his brother. The only person around though was Dean. He really missed his family.

It had been a long time since he had seen them! At least he thought it had been. Dean had been teaching him how to tell time and the date. Actually, he had been teaching him a lot of things. It was always fun to learn things.

The Dean that was taking care of him now wasn't teaching him anything. It made him sad, but he didn't know if he should ask the older man about it. He didn't know where he stood with the man though.

He didn't know where he stood with Lucifer or Mr. Cass either. They were just strangers that Daddy had left him with and he just wanted his Daddy back to tell if that everything was going to be okay.

That was what Daddy did. He'd hold Sammy whenever he was feeling bad and tell him that as long as he or Dean were there that he had nothing to worry about. Well, they weren't around and he was worried.

He had Dean and Uncle Bobby and Lucifer and Mr. Cass. He knew that, but it wasn't the same! Well, it wasn't fully the same. There was something about Dean that… He was just like Daddy and it was really confusing!

The last time that they had left the house he had accidentally called Dean 'Daddy'. He hadn't meant to, but he had been scared. All he wanted was for someone to be there to protect him and the person that had been doing that was Dean.

He knew that it was stupid as soon as he had calmed down, but he had no idea what to say. Dean wasn't Daddy. He knew that. He really did. He just really wanted his Daddy and Dean was right there.

He tried not to think about the fact that Daddy and his Dean weren't there. Then he went to bed and he dreamed of them. The dreams were so real that when he woke up he looked around for them, but they were never there.

Sometimes he'd wake up early and he'd stand in front of the window and look for the Impala. Every time he'd see Dean's Impala and he'd feel excited until he remembered the truth. He just wanted his family back.

"Sammy?" Dean called from the table already starting to stand up, "You okay, buddy?"

"Yeah," the boy nodded not wanting the man to come over.

He didn't look like he believed Sammy, but he sat back down. Smiling the little boy slid down the slide once more before looking around the park for something else that he could play on. There wasn't much to do with no one around.

Spotting a swing set he ran over and tried to climb into one, but it was too big. A sad sigh fell from his lip as he turned back to Dean ready to ask if he would help. He stopped though when he saw someone new standing next to the man.

Dean didn't really look like he liked the man and the man didn't look like he liked Dean all that much either. Maybe he should just go back to playing and leave them alone until the man left. He didn't want to be around someone that Dean didn't like.

Before he could turn around though he saw the older man wave him over. Blinking a few times he slowly started towards the table his eyes never leaving the new person. All too soon he was standing next to Dean looking up at the man.

"Sammy, this is Gabriel," Dean offered with a wave of his hand.

Hazel eyes darted over the new man knowing that he should greet him, but having no idea what he was supposed to say. Dean didn't like Gabriel. Did that mean that Sammy shouldn't like the man as well?

"Hello, Sammy," Gabriel greeted kneeling so he was face to face with the young boy, "Castiel has told me a lot about you. It's nice to finally met you."

"You know Mr. Cass?" Sammy questioned his eyes going wide.

"I do. He's my brother."

A wide grin came to the boy's lips as he moved closer to the man. If he was Mr. Cass's brother than he had to be a good person. He didn't know why Dean didn't like him, but he couldn't be a bad guy.

"Dean," Sammy turned to the man with a grin, "He's Mr. Cass's brother!"

"He is," Dean agreed with a nod.

"Do you think he'll play with me like Mr. Cass does?"

"Why don't you ask him?"

Turning back to the new man Sammy looked up at him hopefully. He missed the look of sadness in Dean's eyes as Gabriel held his hand out. Taking hold of it he started to drag him back to the swing set excitedly.

Gabriel had a smile on his lips as he lifted the boy into the swing and started to push him. A giggle fell from his lips at that. He loved the swings! Especially when someone else was the one pushing him. He got so high!

"How have you been, Sammy?" Gabriel asked after a few moments.

"I miss my Daddy and Dean," Sammy answered his voice soft.

"I bet."

Sammy looked back at Gabriel wondering why he sounded so sad all of a sudden. When he looked at the man though he had a big smile on his face. The smile was so bright that the boy found himself smiling back.

"Are you having fun with everyone?" Gabriel asked after a moment.

"Yeah!" Sammy replied happily, "Dean and Uncle Bobby are really fun to play with. So is Mr. Cass. Lucifer's my favorite though."

"Lucifer? You like him, huh?"

"He's the best for cuddling."

Sammy was happy being able to talk about Lucifer. It had been a few days since he had seen the being and he missed him. Every time he had brought it up with Mr. Cass or Dean though they just said that he would be back soon.

"Lucifer is Mr. Cass's brother," Sammy thought out loud blinking a few times, "You're Mr. Cass's brother. You and Lucifer are brothers too, right?"

"That's right," Gabriel nodded his head, "We are brothers."

The sadness was back in his voice and Sammy had no idea what he had said. Maybe he was mad at Lucifer. Dean got mad at him sometimes and quit talking to him for awhile. He always hated that, but he was always forgiven.

Maybe if he could get Lucifer and Gabriel together they'd forgive whatever happened. It was always better after he was forgiven. Then maybe Lucifer and Gabriel would come around and play with him.

"Sammy," Gabriel started moving so he was standing in front of the boy, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Okay," Sammy nodded instantly.

"Okay. What's the last thing you remember about your Daddy and Dean?"

Sammy cocked his head at the question before looking at the ground trying to think. It had been so long since he thought about what had happened before the big Dean had found him and took him to Uncle Bobby's.

He let out a soft noise when he realized that he couldn't actually remember what had happened. His eyes darted up to Gabriel not knowing what he was supposed to say or do. He was starting to forget his brother and Daddy.

"I don't know," Sammy whispered tears gathering in his eyes, "I can't remember."

A sob slipped from his lips just as Gabriel wrapped him in a hug. Burying his face in the beings shoulder he let himself cry as his mind tried to remember something, anything, about his Daddy and Dean.

"What happened?" Dean demanded angrily.

"I don't remember!" Sammy wailed pulling away from Gabriel and reaching for Dean, "I don't remember Daddy or Dean!"


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question time! When the end of the story comes would you like to see Sammy stay a babe or turn back into his adult self?
> 
> I have a list of things that I'm going to attempt to write in this story, but if there's anything you want to see tell me and I'll try to add it!
> 
> If you want to be kept up to date with redos on stories or want to know more about stories that will be started soon or even ask me to write a story for you please follow me on Facebook under SilverMidnight52! I own nothing!

Laughter echoed through the house bringing a smile to Lucifer's lips. He had been gone for almost two weeks attempting to find some kind of hint what had happened to Sam. There was nothing to find.

The kind of power that it took to change someone into their child self was rare. So rare that no one he came across had it. A part of him hated that he had to return with no news, but at the same time he was glad.

Sammy was like all the stories that he had heard when he was in the cage. He was sweet and innocent. He loved with such an open heart that it was more than a little worrisome. The little boy had to be protected at all cost. Something that he wanted to do.

His adult self didn't want that though. Or, at least, he didn't want to admit he wanted it out loud. The hunter was one of the few people that he had trouble reading. That was one of the things he loved about the man.

Nothing about Sam Winchester was easy. If you thought that you know what he was thinking than you were in for a shock. He was never going to do what one thought he would do. That would be too easy.

When Lucifer had first gotten out of the cage he had thought that it would be easy to find Sam and bring him to his side. Everything in the humans life had been geared towards having him be the perfect vessel for him.

The only thing that they didn't count on was his heart. Oh, what a wonderfully big heart the man had been given. It shined so bright that the fallen angel couldn't help but smile simply thinking about it.

There was a voice in his head saying that he was never going to be able to get the hunter to say yes to him. For the most part he did agree with that. It was going to take a certain thing to get him to ever join Lucifer. He simply didn't know what that thing was.

The chase was half of the fun though. He loved learning everything that he could about the human. Sam might not believe him, but he truly did care for the man and wanted nothing more than to see him happy.

That was exactly what he was getting right now though. Sam was happy. Okay, so he was a four year old, but that was beside the point. He was happy and Lucifer was going to do everything that he could to make sure that the boy stayed that way.

Something that was actually fairly simply. For as much as the older man seemed to hate him young Sammy adored being around Lucifer. It was one of his favorite things to do and the angel had been missing his time with the boy.

Of course, he knew that even without him there Sammy would be fine. Dean would never let anything happen to any incarnation of his brother. Something that made Lucifer being around so much a little awkward. If he truly cared about that.

Castiel was the same way. Lucifer knew that it wasn't the easiest thing for his younger brother, but he was there. Though he was almost positive that that fact had more to do with the fact that Sammy wanted him there than Castiel wanting to be there.

None of that matter though because Sammy was perfectly safe. It didn't matter who was there to keep him safe. He was safe. They all just felt better when they were the person that the young boy was hanging off of.

Walking into the living room icy eyes scanned the scene in front of him. He knew that he had been gone for awhile, but he wasn't expecting to walk in and see Gabriel playing with little Sammy. He thought the other angel was still ignoring them.

Before he could walk through the door and talk to his vessel a hand came to rest on his shoulder. Looking over he saw Castiel staring at him. The younger angel had a look in his eyes that made Lucifer wonder what it was that he had missed.

Following the being out of the house and into the junkyard Lucifer was greeted by the sight of Dean leaning against his car. He looked as concerned about what had happened while he was gone as Castiel did.

"I imagine this has something to do with Gabriel," Lucifer offered as a starting point.

"More like he found something out," Dean shrugged before sighing, "Did you find anything?"

"No. The magic that is needed to do this is more than I have seen before. What happened while I was gone?"

Dean looked over at Castiel before shaking his head and turning away. It took a lot for the hunter to stay silent about something like this. The case might have been circled around his little brother, but it was still a case.

At least that's what Lucifer was going on. He had no idea what exactly it was that they were doing for the boy since none of their ideas panned out. They were running around looking for answers where there might be none.

"We believe that Sammy is losing some of his memories," Castiel continued when the hunter did not.

"What do you mean?" Lucifer asked turning to him.

"Gabriel asked Sammy the last thing that he remembered and he said he did not remember his Daddy or Dean."

Lucifer blinked a few times at that. There were a few ideas that came to his mind. Ranging from the spell falling apart to Sammy simply forgetting because of his age. None of them made him feel any better about the situation.

There were so many things that could be happening to the little boy and all of them were out of his control. That was not a feeling that he liked to think about. He was meant to be protect his vessel and he was failing.

Turning back to the house he looked through the front window just in time to see Sammy run past. He had no idea how long ago this had happened, but it seemed as if the boy was back to being himself for now.

"Any bright ideas?" Dean grunted out dragging the fallen angel's attention away.

"None that you have not had yourself," Lucifer stated calmly before looking up at the sky.

"So we still have nothing? Great, that's just great."

The hunter stayed quiet for a moment before acting out and kicking a tire that was near the car. It didn't do much, but based off the sigh that fell from his lips Dean felt a little better for doing that. Or his foot hurt. Lucifer never really tried to get to know Dean.

His whole focus had been put onto Sam. That was the Winchester that he cared for before he even met him. Maybe that was where he had gone wrong. He had forgotten that when you got one Winchester you got them both.

The three beings stood there in silence for awhile not knowing what was supposed to be said next. Without having any idea what was happening to Sammy than they had nothing. They had to wait it out for awhile longer.

"Dean!" Sammy yelled running out of the house, "Guess what Gabriel… Lucifer!"

Before the fallen angel could really take notice to the young boy tiny arms wrapped around his waist holding him tightly. A gentle smile came to his lips as he knelt down and allowed the boy to hold onto his properly.

Sammy was talking so quickly that it was hard to understand exactly what was being said, but he sounded happy so Lucifer simply picked him up and started inside. Behind him he could hear Castiel and Dean following him.

Coming to the door he saw Gabriel standing there with a blank expression. It broke Lucifer's heart seeing his little brother look like that, but there was nothing he could do. He didn't fully understand why the being was so angry at him.

There were points in time where he wished that things had turned out differently for them all. He had always known that the war was going to hurt them all, but he never guessed that it would destroy as much as it did.

"Gabriel," Lucifer greeted with a nod of his head, "It's good to see you."

"Yeah," Gabriel practically rolled his eyes before looking at Sammy, "What did Dean say, Sammy?"

"I forgot to ask," Sammy said before twisting in the fallen angel's arms to look at the hunter, "Gabriel said he was going to make dinner!"

Behind him Lucifer could feel Dean take another step closer until they were closer than they had ever been. It was odd to have the man near him. At least, it was odd since neither of them were bleeding.

"He is?" Dean asked sending a glare at Gabriel, "What is he making?"

"Don't know," Sammy shrugged before turning around once more, "What are you making?"

"Pasta," Gabriel grinned a twinkle in his eyes.

Once more Sammy turned to Dean and told him what Gabriel said. A laugh fell from the hunters lips before he took the boy from Lucifer's arms saying that he had to go clean up his room while dinner was being made.

When the humans were out of the sight Lucifer turned to look at Gabriel. He had such a peaceful smile on his lips as he watched them. It was so similar to the kind of looks Lucifer had seen in Heaven.

"Gabriel," Lucifer attempted to start.

"Don't," the archangel growled out turning to glare at him, "I'm not here for you. So let's continue our relationship of not talking. It's better that way."


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only five chapters left! I hope you guys enjoyed the redo of this story!
> 
> If you want to be kept up to date with redos on stories or want to know more about stories that will be started soon or even ask me to write a story for you please follow me on Facebook under SilverMidnight52! I own nothing!

Leaning against the wall Gabriel forced himself to take a few deep breaths to keep calm. After spending hours with Lucifer all he wanted to do was leave. It wasn't as if he was needed. There was nothing he could do.

Still, he couldn't leave. Not after he heard Sammy laugh. It was such a pure sound. Something that he hadn't heard before. In his time on Earth he had done his best to avoid being around children in any form. As always there was something about Sam Winchester that changed all of that.

Gabriel had no idea what it was about the man, but he knew that he wasn't the only one that felt it. It was as if anyone that run into him fell for him in some way. The angel had never tried to figure out which part he fell into with him.

The only thing that he really cared about was the fact that the human was safe. Sometimes that safety meant that he had to get hurt. It was better for him in the long run. He wished that someone had done that with him.

Sighing the angel looked at the floor as he started to think of the last time he had been in Heaven. It was the one thing that he hated thinking about. It was also the thing that he would never be able to forget.

He had been so stupid to think that things were ever going to get back to how they used to be. That he'd finally have his family back. That the fighting was finally over. That was what he used to be though. Stupid.

When he had left Heaven he had promised himself that he was never going to make that mistake again. If Lucifer or Michael ever came to get him he was going to tell them exactly where to shove it. Neither of them ever came.

A part of the archangel had been more than a little pissed about that. It was as if he was completely forgotten. Which wasn't all the surprising. The war was going on. Of course no one thought to come and get him.

They knew that there was no chance that he was going to fight. It wasn't that he didn't believe in one side over the other, but, unlike the others, he wasn't going to fight his family just because they did something he didn't like.

For the life of him he had never been able to figure out what it was that was going on in his brothers heads. It was as if they had forgotten everything that they had had before. They were no longer a family. Just people trying to kill each other.

It had broken his heart when he noticed that. He loved his family more than anything and knowing that there was nothing he could do to save them was horrible. It was over for them. Nothing would change that.

"Gabriel," Castiel greeted walking up to him, "Are you alright?"

"Fine," Gabriel offered with a fake grin, "Why wouldn't I be?"

The younger angel cocked his head to the side a confused look clear on his face. He really hated that look. It just reminded him that Castiel was nothing more than a child even now. He had no idea what was going on in the world.

That wasn't true. He had a diluted sense of the world. Whatever it was that was being taught up in Heaven was probably not what he had been taught when he was up there. If they were still even teaching things up there.

"Sammy's asleep," Castiel said after a pregnant pause, "Dean said that he wanted to thank you again for dinner. He wished you would have been there."

"No he doesn't," Gabriel chuckled humorlessly.

"He spoke of nothing but you while he ate. I did miss you."

"I don't doubt that."

"Then what did you say he didn't want you there?"

There was so much confusion in Castiel's voice that all Gabriel wanted to do was pull him into a hug. How was it possible that he was still so innocent? Being part of the hunting world should have stripped that from him.

Just like it should have with Sam. It was odd to think, but the two were similar in many ways. Though Castiel was innocent because he still was learning about the world while Sam simply choose to see the best in people.

That was something that he both hated and admired about the human. He should have been broken beyond repair by now. That was the last thing he was though. It was like he took everything against him and just kept moving.

He was one of the strongest humans that Gabriel had ever gotten to met. Now he was a child and so much easier to harm. Something that he was sure would happen if he had been at the dinner with everyone else.

Of course, by everyone he meant Lucifer. He was one of two beings that could get under his skin and cause him to act irrationally. If Sammy had seen the two of them going at each other his heart would have broken.

"He didn't want to be around me, Castiel," Lucifer's musical voice came from behind him causing Gabriel to tense instantly.

Turning slowly he glared at his brother. The last thing he wanted to deal with was the being. It would only end badly for them all. Something that would hurt Sammy more than he wanted to think about.

That was the last thing any of them wanted. Gabriel still wasn't going to think too hard about why he felt so strongly towards the boy, but he did. He wanted him to be happy for as long as he possibly could.

In the end that meant that he had to pretend that he could stand Lucifer. That was if he couldn't avoid him. Now, Sammy was fast asleep and now he was standing in front of the last being that he wanted to be near.

"Yet here you are," Gabriel stated with a fake smile.

"Sammy missed you," Lucifer spoke ignoring his tone.

"So I've been told."

"You are mad at me. I know that. Do not take it out on Sammy."

Anger filled Gabriel as he took a step towards his brother. He wanted to wipe that peaceful look of the beings face. How could he look so damn peaceful after everything that he had done? How could he have forgiven himself?

"Never assume what I'm doing," Gabriel growled out, "I'm trying to keep the peace. I don't want him to see what we would do to each other."

"I wouldn't do anything to you."

A dark chuckle left Gabriel's lips as he turned away and ran a hand through his hair. His mind was going through all the things that he had wanted to tell his brother since the war had started. Things he had never stopped thinking.

"You already did," Gabriel whispered looking at the ground.

"I know," Lucifer replied moving to rest a hand on the younger angel's shoulder, "There's nothing I can say to change what I did to you. What I did to both of you."

"You don't feel guilt for it."

"No, I don't. I did what I thought was right."

"You threw a fit."

"I stood up for what I believed in."

"What you believe in? What you 'believe in' started a war. It tore our family apart! All because you couldn't just do what Father said!"

"Do you really think that would change anything? That after everything I said about the human race that Father would simply forgive me?"

"He would have and you know it."

"Maybe, but what of Michael? Would he and I have stopped? Or would our fighting have gotten worse? Nothing would have changed no matter what I did."

Gabriel rolled his eyes as his brothers words. He hated how much it made sense. Of course nothing would have changed after Lucifer had spoken up against Father, but that didn't change what had happened.

Because of him and Michael things had changed. They destroyed everything that they had had. Their entire family had changed from that day on and there was nothing in the world that was ever going to get them back to where they were.

"I'm sorry, Gabriel," Lucifer finally offered softly, "I never imagined that what I did would harm everyone else. The fight was supposed to be between myself and Michael. I wanted no one else involved."

"Well," Gabriel responded turning to face his brother, "We were."

"You don't have to be anymore. The fight is still between him and I. You and Castiel can walk away. Please, little brother, leave the fight to him and I."

"It's not that simple."

"It is."

"No, it's not. You're not the only one that cares for the Winchester's. We all do. They're part of this fight"

"I wished they weren't."

"Me too. They are though. So, I don't think any of us are walking away."

A sad smile came to Lucifer's lips as he reached out and place a hand on the side of Gabriel's face. For the first time in a long time he didn't flinch from the touch. He still wasn't okay with the situation, but he wasn't running anymore.

"Until the final fight, brother," Lucifer stated with a slight smile.

"Until then, brother," Gabriel returned nodding his head.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only three or four chapters left! I hope you guys enjoyed the redo of this story!
> 
> If you want to be kept up to date with redos on stories or want to know more about stories that will be started soon or even ask me to write a story for you please follow me on Facebook under SilverMidnight52! I own nothing!

A smile bloomed on Dean's lips as he watched Sammy run around the park with one of the other peoples dog. Bobby had said that they were having an 'adopt-a-pet' day there and they both knew that the boy would love it.

Growing up having a dog was all he could ever talk about. It was a heartbreaking day when they finally convinced him that they couldn't have one. That life on the road would be too much for whatever poor mutt they got.

Still, watching him jump around and pretend that he was chasing his own tail while surrounded by puppies was too damn cute. He really wished that he could get one for the boy. If only to see that smile every day.

It was the best sight that Dean had ever seen. Just pure unadulterated happiness. Something that only a child could have. Something that wouldn't last all that long on Sammy if memory served correctly.

When they were kids he did his best to convince their father that Sammy was just too young to know anything about hunting. Which he won more often than not. At least until he turned a very mature six years old.

Dean would have preferred for the boy to never know anything about hunting. It was their job to protect people from the things that went bump in the night. Right? So why not do that with his little brother?

Their father didn't agree with that and he did have a point. Sam couldn't be going around the country with them while they hunted and not know what was going on. It just left the boy in a position to be hurt.

For awhile Dean thought about telling Dad that it would be better for the boy if they left him with Bobby or Pastor Jim. He might still be around hunting, but only in the vaguest sense. He would be safe and they'd be able to visit him.

It wasn't exactly his best plan, but he was will. All Dean ever wanted was for Sam to be happy. If that meant that he had to leave him with someone else than he would have been willing. It would have broke him, but he'd do it for Sammy.

Now here he was. Watching a four year old Sammy running around a park and it was his choice. After six months of searching for some answers they still had nothing. It was doubtful Sammy was ever going to be Sam again.

That thought broke his heart. He had lost his little brother. His best friend. After everything that they had been through together he was gone. How could he have all of that torn from him without a single idea why?

Alright, so he and Sam had hit a bit of a rough patch in their relationship, but that was normal. Brothers did that all the time. They did that all the time. No matter what though they always worked it out. Just like they would have if given the chance.

Instead some asshole somewhere had decided that it was time for them to step into something they didn't understand. Who in their right mind decided to turn a full grown adult into a child and then leave them alone?

The whole thing made Dean's blood boil. He wanted nothing more than to go out on a hunt and kill something, but he couldn't. Sammy might not know he was his Dean, but he still needed him. That was more important than a hunt.

At least it was to Dean. Bobby had been trying to get him to go on a few small hunts here and there. He got the reasoning behind it. He was angry and frustrated at the whole situation. A hunt would do him so good.

It wasn't like he was going to be leaving Sammy alone. He had Bobby and Cass there for him. Hell, he even had, as much as it pained him to admit it, Lucifer and Gabriel there for him. He was completely safe. Or as safe as the two archangels could be.

Even with all of that he couldn't leave the boy. He had been turned into a child while he wasn't watching already. Dean didn't want to push the envelope to see whatever the universe decided to through their way. That's how it always seemed to be though.

"Dean," Castiel greeted appearing behind him without a sight.

"Dammit, Cass," Dean jumped before spinning to glare at him, "Cowbell. You need a cowbell."

"I am not a cow."

"Details. What's up?"

"I came to see how you and Sammy were. Bobby said that he was playing with puppies. He looks happy."

Turning around once more green eyes instantly found Sammy laying on the ground with two different dogs stepping on and licking at him while he laughed loudly. Castiel was right. Sammy did look happy.

Without really thinking Dean reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. It was just too perfect a moment not to take pictures of. Something he had been doing more often than he had ever done before.

He had more than a few photos of the boy playing already. Hell, he even had a few of him while he was sleeping. It was a little creepy, but he couldn't help himself. Nothing made him smile more than seeing his brother safe.

"Nothing else to report?" Dean questioned as the angel moved around the bench to sit next to him.

"I am sorry," Castiel responded his eyes locked on the little boy as well.

"I know. I am too."

The men fell into silence as Dean lifted his head so he was staring at the sky. He trusted that his friend wasn't going to take his eyes off of the boy. It was weird to trust someone else with his brother, but Cass was different. He always had been.

He knew that Castiel cared for his brother almost as much as he did. Something he did not admit easily. It was strange to think, but he was actually glad for it. Especially when he saw the way Cass's face lit up when Sammy did something special.

Well, maybe special was the wrong word. He did things that Dean and Bobby were used to. The angel though… It was as if his whole world changed for the better whenever Sammy hugged him. No matter how many times he did it.

A part of Dean was angry at that. Yeah, Cass could be a little annoying, but so could everyone else. That didn't mean that they should be deprived of something as simply as hugs. It was just wrong to do to someone like Cass.

"What do you think, Cass?" Dean asked closing his eyes, "Think Sammy will ever change back to an adult?"

"Dean," Castiel astonished causing the hunters head to jerk to look at him.

Dean opened his mouth to question what was wrong when he saw Sammy staring at him. The hazel eyes looked so confused. Maybe he was too small to understand what was being said. That was too much to hope for.

Before Dean could say anything the little boy took off running completely ignoring him as he tried to call him back. Cursing to himself Dean started after him knowing that Cass wouldn't be far behind him.

The four year old was small enough that Dean didn't have to do much more than jog to get him so he decided that it might be best to let him tire himself out. At least that was the plan until he noticed Sammy heading right for the street.

Yelling his brothers name Dean started to truly sprint towards him needing to get to him before it was too late. Just as the boy got into the middle of the street a car turned the corner. Sammy froze where he was his eyes wide with fear.

The hunter could hear the car tires screech but he paid them no mind as he picked Sammy up and ran to the other side of the street. His heart was racing as he fell to his knees holding the little boy almost painful tight.

Above him Castiel and the driver were trying to talk to him, but his only concern was Sammy. The boy was saying so badly and he could feel his shirt already soaked with tears. Oh that was the most horribly wonderful thing he'd heard.

"De," Sammy sobbed against his chest over and over, "De."

"I got you, Sammy," Dean assured counting his blessing, "I got you."


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one or two chapters left! I hope you guys enjoyed the redo of this story!
> 
> If you want to be kept up to date with redos on stories or want to know more about stories that will be started soon or even ask me to write a story for you please follow me on Facebook under SilverMidnight52! I own nothing!

A sad smile was on Dean's lips as he slowly lowered a sleeping Sammy into his bed. They had just gotten back from the park and to say the whole day had been a disaster was an understatement. It was one of the worst days he had ever had.

Even in his sleep there were tears streaming down the little boys cheeks. He had done that. He had been the one that broke his brothers heart when all he was trying to do was keep him safe from the world.

A part of Dean knew that it wasn't really his fault. Sammy was going to be hurt if the truth came out no matter who said it. It just happened to be him this time and there was nothing he could do to change that.

Sighing the hunter sat on the bed his hand reaching out to run through his brother's hair. He had been in this position a few times since Sammy turned. Hell, he had done it when Sam was a full grown adult. Though maybe not recently.

It wasn't as if he didn't love his brother. His love for Sam was never going to change. He was just hurt by everything that had been going on and he knew that it was going to get a lot worse before it got better.

There was a voice in his mind that reminded him that everything that his brother had done he would have done as well. That was just who they were. It was stupid of them each and every time, but that was what they did.

They knew that it had been pointed out often that they were too dependent on each other and maybe that was true. They needed each other to stop from going insane while they fought against the things they hunted.

As much as Dean hated it he knew that if it was for Sam being in his life he would long be dead. He was safer when he hunted because he knew that he needed to be there to take care of his baby brother while he hunted.

That was a best outcome for not having Sam in his life. The worst was becoming the very thing he hunted. He had seen too many of his dad's friends acting so much worse than the demons that they sent back to hell.

For awhile that had been a huge fear of Dean's. He knew that he was good at hunting. That he had a certain lust for fighting. It came in handy whenever they were going up against a big group of vampires or the like.

It would have been easy to think that just because they were vampires or werewolves or whatever that they were evil. It was actually the way that Dean had been taught when he was hunting. If it was supernatural it needed to be put down.

That was how he hunted for a long time. Then Sam came back from Stanford and that changed. Sam was all heart. Something that had worried both their Dad and Dean. They thought he was too soft to do what had to be done.

Dean knew better than that now. He knew that Sam could fight and kill with the best of them. He chose to look deeper than that though. He looked at all the things they fought against and realized that some of them were just trying to survive.

It had taken awhile before he was able to convince the older man to look beyond the surface. He didn't stop trying until he did. Until Dean was able to see that not everything that went bump in the night was trying to kill you.

That was when Dean realized that Sam was stronger than he was. Sure Dean could fight and kill better than almost every hunter they knew. He could put his life on the line to protect anyone that needed to be protected.

Sam, on the other hand, could love the things they were supposed to be fighting. He could see that they weren't just prey. They were beings that sometimes needed to be protected from people like his big brother.

It was something that Dean was truly proud of his brother for. He might not always agree with what went on in Sam's mind, but he was always proud of him for trying to look with his heart before he pulled out his gun.

He never told his brother that though. Which was probably not the best thing since he knew that Sam had no idea how he felt about it. Outside of mild annoyance for having to change his plan once again.

Maybe he should have. Sam deserved to know how much he loved and respected him and everything he stood for. Dean just wasn't really good at doing the whole feeling talks. It wasn't how he was raised.

"I'm sorry, Sam," Dean muttered running a hand through his brother's hair, "I'm sorry for how I've been acting towards you. I've been an asshole for no reason. God, I'm sorry for everything."

"I know," a voice spoke up causing the hunter to stand up and reach for the knife he had.

He was already in a fighting stance ready to kill whatever it was that had appeared in the room. Nothing was going to hurt his little brother again. He was going to protect his brother like he should have been doing all along.

"Chuck?" Dean questioned his brain finally registering what he was seeing, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I think you already know the answer to that," Chuck answered with a slight shrug of his shoulders before he looked over at Sammy, "He can sleep through anything can't he?"

Dean opened his mouth to say something to the man but thought better of it. There was something wrong about the whole situation. Chuck was just another human. There was no reason for him to be there now. Unless…

"What are you?" Dean asked his grip on the knife tightening.

"You already know that too," Chuck offered calmly taking a step forward, "Come on, Dean. Think."

Glaring at the man Dean thought back on everything that had happened. Slowly his eyes widened in disbelief as he realized what was going on. There was just no way though. Chuck was just a human. Right?

"You did this," Dean whispered looking down at his brother, "You changed Sam."

"I did," Chuck nodded his head taking another step closer.

"Why?"

"You both needed to remember everything that made you brothers."

"So you changed him into a four year old?"

"It worked, didn't it?"

Dean wanted nothing more than to punch the man in front of him. It was something that was just so damn stupid. Chuck never should have gotten involved in what was going on with them. It was none of his concern.

"Dean," Chuck started knocking him from his thoughts, "Don't think about what you want to do to me. That's not important."

"Really?" Dean said sarcastically rolling his eyes, "What is important?"

"What happens next."

"And what is that?"

"You deciding what happens to Sam next."

Blinking a few times Dean looked down at his little brother. He was fast asleep still and finally he looked like he was somewhat at peace. At least he wasn't crying anymore. That had to mean something right?

Sitting at the edge of the bed he ran a hand through the boy's hair. He loved the little boy more than anything. He truly did, but he missed his brother. He missed having someone to talk to and hang out with. It was stupid and selfish, but he wanted his brother back.

"Okay," Chuck said behind him.

Dean turned back around to say something to the man only to see that he was gone. Blinking a few times he stared in the spot that he had been in confused. He probably would have continued to stare if he didn't hear a pained gasp behind him.

Spinning around he got ready to try to figure out what was going on with Sammy only to freeze. He wasn't looking at a four year old little boy. No, he saw a full grown man laying in the bed. He saw his little brother.

"Sam," Dean whispered his eyes wide.

"Dean?" Sam questioned his hand going up to cradle his head, "What happened?"

"Long story. Get some sleep. I'll tell it to you later."

Without thinking Dean leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Sam's forehead before standing up. Sam was staring at him in confusion, but he didn't say anything as he sunk into the mattress and closed his eyes.

"Dean?" Sam suddenly said as the older man was starting to leave.

"Yeah, Sammy?" Dean asked looking back at his brother.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm okay."


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter! Oh this was a fun redo. I love this story so much and I hope you guys did as well. Thank you all for the reviews and follows!
> 
> If you want to be kept up to date with redos on stories or want to know more about stories that will be started soon or even ask me to write a story for you please follow me on Facebook under SilverMidnight52! I own nothing!

Leaning against the side of a car Bobby was working on Sam flipped his brothers phone between his hands. He knew that there were picture in it that he needed to see, but he was a little scared to do that.

Dean had sat him down almost three hours ago and told him that he had been a child for six months. He was missing six months of his life and he was the only one that had no idea what had happened during that time.

It was so strange to think that. Of course he knew that there was really nothing off limits when it came to the supernatural, but to be turned into a child? He was pretty sure that that had never happened before.

Yet the evidence was in his hands. If only he could get up the courage to actually look at any of them. A part of him was too scared to look at everything it was that he had had. It was stupid, but maybe it would be better if he didn't know.

After listening to everything that Dean had told him that just seemed like the best plan. He wasn't surprised that Bobby and Cass were there to help take care of him. He wasn't surprised that Dean took pictures of him even.

No, the part that got him was the fact that Gabriel and Lucifer were involved as well. Those two were the least trusted beings that he and his brother had ever run into. Yet, from what Dean said, he loved being around them. Especially Lucifer.

The thought of that made his stomach churn with fear. He was more than a little surprised that the fallen angel had at no point in time simply taken him away. Instead he stayed around people that hated and distrusted him. Because of Sam.

That was probably the scariest thing about the whole situation. He could deal with being turned into a child. Weird shit came with the job. But hanging off of the being that he was fighting against at every turn? That was too much.

The worst part though was how Dean explained it. Little him had not just hung around Lucifer. He absolutely adored the man. It was like they were best friends and the devil could do no wrong in his eyes.

Sighing Sam placed the phone on the car and ran his fingers through his hair. His head was starting to hurt as he tried to figure out how he was supposed to feel about everything that had happened to him.

So far he had only really talked to Dean, but he had run into Castiel when he was leaving the house. The angel had looked so happy that Sam was back to himself. He had even opened his arms and given the hunter a hug. Just thinking about that made Sam smile.

After that he had told him that Gabriel had been informed of his change and had left almost instantly. That wasn't all that surprising though it was a little disappointing. He didn't know what he wanted to do with the archangel, but it might have been good to see him again.

When he got outside he saw Bobby working on one of the cars. The older man did little more than nod his head at Sam before going back to work, but he had seen the smile on his lips nonetheless. He was happy to see Sam as himself again.

For a second he had thought about going over and talking to the man. He needed time to think though. Try to figure out what it was that was going on in his head so he went to the other side of the junkyard.

He still had no idea what he was supposed to do with all the information that he had been given. It wasn't like he could ignore it, but he was the only one that had no idea what happened when he was a child. Maybe it would be for the best to just forget.

"Hello, Samuel," a gentle musical voice sudden spoke causing his head to snap up.

"Lucifer," Sam offered clearing his throat, "I thought you would have left by now."

"I wanted to see how you were doing before I did."

"Oh."

Hazel eyes darted to the ground before looking back up at the fallen angel. What was he supposed to say to that? Obviously something had changed in their relationship when he was a child, but he had no idea what.

Was this what it was going to be like with everyone? Would things just be awkward now because they had this big transformation with little him while he sat there feeling as if he was a disappointment?

Sighing he dropped his head once more not wanting to look at the angel. Maybe it would have been easier if he had never been changed back. At least then they would have the person that they had been getting to know. Sam didn't even really remember being that young.

"You're over thinking it," Lucifer stated calmly.

"How do you know that?" Sam question with a small glare.

"Because you still get a little wrinkle between your eyes and they always dart around when you're thinking too much. Sammy did the same thing."

"I'm not Sammy anymore."

"Of course you are. You might be an adult, but you are still very much him. Still caring and warmhearted towards everyone you met. You still have a smile that can light up an entire room whenever you're happy. You are still Sammy. You're just an adult him now."

"You guys all got used to being around him though. Admit it, you like him better than me."

"Not better. Simply different. He was a child. One that was fun to play with and watch explore and understand the world, but that was it. You couldn't have an in-depth conversation with him or simply sit there in silence knowing that he was there if you needed him."

Reaching out Lucifer picked up the cell phone and held it out to the hunter. For a moment Sam felt as if he should refuse. He still wasn't completely sold on what the being was trying to tell him. It was just too confusing.

"You're still him, Sam," Lucifer continued when he made no move to take it, "You will always have a heart that loves everyone and your smile will always light up a room. Nothing has changed but people remembering who you are. It's time for you to remember as well."

With a shaky hand the human took the phone from Lucifer and stared down at it. Taking a deep breath he put the password into the phone and opened up the photos. The first one brought a smile to his lips.

Lifting his head he opened his mouth to thank the fallen angel only to see that he was gone. A part of Sam was saddened by that, but he simply turned his attention to the phone. Six months worth of photos were in his hand and he might not remember it, but he couldn't wait to hear the stories now.


End file.
